To Rewrite Destiny
by Kiaran Dryaalis
Summary: Frankly, I think this is one of my stranger fanfics. Basically, Kamui dies on the Final Day and somehow wakes up in the Tokyo Babylon timeline. Rated for vivid nightmares. OC, SeixSu, possibly a lemon later on. Moved to the TB section.
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: This just popped into my head in a dream last year. I had this posted at another website, but I find a lot easier to deal with so I moved it over here._

_Quick thing about this fic. It's a SeixSu fic, despite what the prologue implies._

_Also, this was previously listed under the X catagory, because it starts off in X but moved to Tokyo Babylon. yes, it still has Kamui, but still, it's Tokyo Babylon. So, I moved it over under the Tokyo Babylon catagory instead.

* * *

Tokyo tower. A monument visited by three million people each year. Built in the Showa year 33, it stands three hundred and thirty-three meters tall. On this, the final day in the year 1999, a cataclysmic battle shall take place._

* * *

Kamui Shirou blocked his Twin Star's attack. The two Shinken clanged as they met. The sound rang out though the silent city. 

"You cannot defeat me," the Dark Kamui sneered. "Not when that Wish of yours prevents you from attacking."

"Shut up about my Wish!" Kamui snapped.

Again, the swords clashed. The two Kamui were fighting for different reasons. One to save humanity; the other to destroy humanity.

The Dark Kamui unleashed a blast of psychic energy. The smaller boy dodged the blast and let out his own blast.

Before he could do anything, Kamui saw Fuuma dodge the blast and thrust the blade of his Shinken towards him. Kamui let out a short cry as the Shinken went through him.

"Fuu...ma..." the amethyst-eyed boy whispered.

The Dark Kamui smirked. "I told you. You couldn't defeat me."

The tower began to shake as a massive earthquake began. Kamui sobbed as he felt his life slipping away. He had failed everyone. A flash of bright light hit him as he lost consciousness.

* * *

"Breathing returning to normal..." 

"Pulse okay..."

"Looks like he's going to pull through."

Kamui opened his eyes. And immediately shut them once more. The light was too bright.

"He'll be fine now."

"I'll go inform Sumeragi-san."

Kamui's eyes snapped open again. He tried to sit up. Pain seared through him and a pair of hands gently pushed him back down.

"Don't try to get up, son," the man said. "You were badly injured. You're lucky Sumeragi-san found you when he did. You lost quite a bit of blood."

"Su...baru..." Kamui tried to say, but it came out as Sbrugh...'

"Is he alright?" a new voice asked.

Kamui turned his head to see a sixteen-year-old boy standing by the door. He looked very familiar to Kamui, but he couldn't place the boy's identity.

"Yes, he'll be fine," the doctor said. "Whatever got him missed the vital points. He's lost a lot of blood, but we're pumping more into him."

"Did you find his identity?"

"No such luck there. He's still rather sedated, so his speech is pretty blurred. But that should stop in a few hours. We'll see what we can find out from him then."

"Good. I'll be back to check on him later."

"Yes."

The boy bowed in gratitude then left. Something in Kamui's mind clicked. The boy was Sumeragi Subaru.

Kamui's mind was racing. How had this happened? Why was he still alive? Why was Subaru only sixteen?

Kamui saw a wall calendar out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and looked at it. His eyes widened in surprise.

It was the year 1990.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

"Subaru, where were you?" Hokuto demanded as her brother toed his shoes off. "You're late! Sei-chan's been waiting for you for the past forty-five minutes!"

"Gomen," Subaru said. "I was accompanying someone to the hospital."

Hokuto's angry face turned worried.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Subaru replied. "I was at Tokyo Tower when I saw him lying on the ground. He was bleeding heavily from a wound in his chest."

"Will he be alright?" Hokuto asked.

"The doctor said that he'd pull through. Nothing vital was hit and they're replacing the blood he lost."

Hokuto sighed in relief. "That's good."

She walked off into the kitchen. Subaru walked over to the table where Sakurazuka Seishirou sat. The veterinarian looked up at the sixteen-year-old.

"Okaeri, Subaru-kun," he smiled.

"Thank you," Subaru replied. "I'm sorry I'm so late, Seishirou-san."

"That's all right," Seishirou told him. "I hear what happened. Thank goodness that boy will be okay. Did you find out who he was?"

Subaru shook his head. "The doctors couldn't find any ID and he's too drugged to speak."

Hokuto came out of the kitchen balancing three plates of food. She placed one plate at each chair then sat down. Subaru and Seishirou thanked the elder Sumeragi twin for the food and the three of them began eating.

"Oh," Subaru said suddenly. "I'm going back after dinner to check on the boy."

"Why don't I take you there?" Seishirou offered. "Hokuto-chan and I could meet this boy as well."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Subaru protested. "I'm sure you're tired after a long day and the hospital is so far out of your way..."

"Come on, Subaru," Hokuto said, rolling her eyes. "Let him take you. The two of you need to spend more time together if you're going to deepen your relationship."

"Hokuto-chaaaaan!!" Subaru exclaimed, blushing wildly.

"Please, Subaru. Let me take you there. It's no bother to me."

After a few minutes, Subaru gave in and agreed to let Seishirou drive him to the hospital.

* * *

Kamui woke up after having fallen asleep shortly after Subaru had left. He was a bit hungry, so he called for the nurse, surprised to find that his voice was back.

The nurse checked on him, left the room, and was back shortly with the infamous hospital milkshake. She handed it to Kamui and left again. As Kamui watched her walk out the door, he noticed Subaru standing outside.

"Come on in, Subaru," he called.

Subaru, who looked a bit startled that this boy whom he had never met knew his name, nodded and came in. He was followed by a girl who looked identical to him and an older man. Kamui took one look at the man and, with a shudder, immediately recognized him as Sakurazuka Seishirou, the Sakurazukamori.

"Are you feeling better now?" Subaru asked, holding his had to his chest.

Kamui nodded. "Yes. It still hurts, but I'm better."

That's good," Subaru said. He paused. "If I may ask, what is your name?"

"Kamui. Shirou Kamui."

"Konban wa, Kamui-san," Subaru said. "I guess you already know who I am. But I suppose you haven't met my companions."

Subaru turned to the girl and Seishirou.

"This is my twin sister, Sumeragi Hokuto. And this is..."

"Sakurazuka Seishirou," Kamui finished, coldly.

Seishirou looked a bit surprised that Kamui knew his name and his eyes turned dark under his glasses. Subaru blushed, feeling silly that he was introducing Kamui to someone he already knew.

"So, Kamui-chan," Hokuto said. "How do you know Sei-chan?"

He was a Dragon of Earth before Subaru killed him, Kamui though. He said, "He's the vet I brought a sick puppy to a while back."

It was a lie, yes. Kamui had never met the veterinarian, Sakurazuka Seishirou, but he knew from what Subaru had told him during the year of destiny that Seishirou had worked as a vet. Though his statement was false, it seemed true enough to Hokuto.

"I see," the elder Sumeragi said. "It must have been a day when Subaru and I weren't there."

Kamui nodded and sipped at the milkshake he had been ignoring. The room was quiet for a few minutes. Subaru pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote something down then handed the paper to Kamui,

"Give me a call when you get out of here," he said. "I'd like to see you every so often."

Kamui nodded and took the paper from Subaru. The younger Sumeragi gave a smile and turned. He and his companions said good-bye and left the room.

* * *

Weeks passed as Kamui's wound healed. The doctors kept asking if Kamui remembered what had given him such an injury. Kamui lied, saying he could remember; it wasn't as if he could tell them it was from a battle that wouldn't happen for nine years.

Subaru would often come in to talk to Kamui. It was hard for Kamui to talk to the onmyouji without thinking about his future self, the one who had taken him from Within himself. The Subaru of this day and age was so different from the Subaru he knew: cheerful, kind and polite, compared to cold, angsty and alone.

"Kamui-san?" Subaru asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Kamui shook himself out of a daze. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about...someone I know."

"Oh. Well, I should be going. I'll come by again tomorrow."

"Ano...Subaru?"

"Hai?"

"Ummm...." Kamui hesitated. "I'm being released tomorrow, but I have nowhere to go."

"You don't live with your family?"

Kamui shook his head. "My mother died. And all my other family is gone as well."

Well, that wasn't exactly true. His mother, along with the entire Monou family was alive and living in Tokyo, but he couldn't go to them and explain that he was Kamui, just from nine years in the future.

"Oh. Well, I suppose you could stay with me. At least until we can find a place for you."

Kamui's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that. "Really? Thanks, Subaru?"

"It's no problem, Kamui-san. My apartment is big enough. And I can get a spare bed for you, easily."

"Thank you."

"Just give me a call and Seishirou-san and I can pick you up."

Kamui cringed inwardly. He didn't want to be anywhere near the Sakurazukamori. "Okay."

Subaru stood and picked up his hat. He gave Kamui a small bow before leaving the room.

* * *

Kamui's dreams that night were filled with blood.

_A pale, thin hand covered in crimson blood protruded from a man's back. A moment later, it slid out, the man falling into his killer's arms. His mismatched gold and white eyes met a mirror-image pair of emerald and white eyes..._

Kamui rolled onto his side, clutching the blankets to his chest.

_"Why?..."_

The voice was one choked with tears. Pain and sorrow, terror and disbelief veiled the face of the young man who had just done what he had never truly wanted to do. Kamui shivered

_The fallen man leaned to whisper into the other man's ear. He fell, breathing his last._

Kamui had seen this happen and now it haunted him. The pain and sorrow had been felt by him as well as the man who had killed the fallen man.

_Sobs choked the young man. "You never say the things I expect to hear, do you?"_

Kamui shuddered with silent sobs as his dream changed.

_Blood ran down the older man's arms. He was slumped against the trunk of the Sakura._

Kamui's sleeping face twisted into one full of heartbreak. Sorrow and pain filled the young teen's face.

_He closed his mismatched eyes as a teenager ran towards him. The teen was too late to help him._

_Subaru!_ Kamui's mind screamed in his sleep.

_"I'm sorry, Kamui. I can't live without him..."_

Tears slid from Kamui's closed eyes. His sobs wracked his fragile body. Those scenes tormented him in his dreams. As they had before the final battle, the months between Subaru's death and his own, supposed, death. They came to him whenever he closed his eyes. Always the same scenes. Dreams of blood, of death, and of pain.

They would never stop.


	3. Chapter Two

_Author's Note: Okay, from now on, the dreams and flashbacks will be in double parentheses "(( ))". Cause won't let me do what I did originally and when it's merely italicized, it can be mistaken for thoughts._

_Disclaimer: X, Tokyo Babylon, Kamui, Subaru, Seishirou, and Hokuto belong to CLAMP. I own jackshit._

Chapter Two

Seishirou watched as Subaru accompanied Kamui towards the van. He wasn't too pleased that the young man was going to be living with Subaru. He could be a problem. With Kamui around, Seishirou's relationship' with Subaru could be in jeopardy.

Kamui was wearing black slacks and a white t-shirt that was at least three sizes too big for him. It had obviously been given to him by a doctor. Seishirou couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the lecture the young man would receive from Hokuto. The older Sumeragi twin would not stand for such a wardrobe.

"So," Seishirou said as Kamui and Subaru climbed into the van. "Anyone up for a quick lunch?"

"Actually, I was hoping to get Kamui home," Subaru said. "I mean, he should get settled in..."

"Lunch sounds good," Kamui interrupted.

After his dreams last night, Kamui had decided that Subaru needed to be with Seishirou and that he would do anything within his power to get them together and change their future. He figured that he was sent to give them a second chance. As much as he had loved Subaru, Kamui knew that Seishirou was who Subaru belonged with.

_((I'm sorry, Kamui. I can't live without him...))_

Subaru looked at Kamui. "Are you sure?"

"The food at the hospital was hardly worth eating. I'm looking forward to something real."

Seishirou looked back at the two teens through the rearview mirror. Kamui's amethyst eyes were looking forward, so Seishirou could see straight into them. Something about those pale violet orbs unnerved the man.

The café was small, but comfortable. Subaru, Seishirou, and Kamui sat at a table. Seishirou had an arm around a blushing Subaru. Kamui was thinking of how he could get Seishirou to truly fall in love with Subaru. He had to prevent Subaru from becoming what he was in 1999.

"So," he said. "How did you two come to know each other?"

"We met at Ikebukuro," Subaru said simply.

"He tripped at the station," Seishirou added. "When I helped him up, I noticed how beautiful he was and immediately fell in love."

_Yeah, right,_ Kamui thought. _You just began an act that will eventually lead to both of your deaths._

_((Seishirou fell into Subaru's arms, blood gushing from the hole in his chest.))_

_((Subaru was bleeding heavily from where he had cut both arms, elbow to wrist.))_

Kamui drove the images from his mind. "So are you two lovers?"

"No!" Subaru blushed.

"Subaru-kun, you wound me," Seishirou said. "Don't you remember our night together on Tokyo Tower?"

"S-S-Seishirou-san!!"

Kamui couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

After Seishirou dropped Subaru and Kamui off at the apartment, Hokuto came out of her apartment to greet the two teens. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Kamui.

"Eeeek!" she screeched. "Kamui-san! I can't believe you wear clothes such as that!"

"Hokuto-chan," Subaru said. "Those are the only clothes he has."

"Then we'll just have to go shopping, won't we?"

With that, Hokuto grabbed Kamui's arm and began pulling him away. Subaru tried to stop his sister, saying that Kamui had just been released from the hospital, but Hokuto merely ignored her brother and went out to call a taxi. She shoved Kamui in and told the driver where to go as Subaru reluctantly got in the taxi with them.

Twenty minutes later, the driver pulled up in front of the department store. Hokuto bounced out, dragging Kamui along with her. Subaru thanked the taxi driver, paid for the ride, sighed, then ran to catch up to his sister and his friend.

Hokuto led Kamui to the men's section and immediately began looking. She threw several pairs of pants to the amethyst-eyed boy, most black and dark denim. When she finished with pants, she ran over to shirts and began poking through the selection. Several black shirts flew at Kamui. Soon, the boy was hidden under a small mountain of clothes.

"Well, that's a start," Hokuto sighed.

"A start?" Kamui gasped. "I have enough clothes here for an army!"

"Well, we're not buying all of them. You need to try a few things on!"

"I don't think they'd allow me to take this many items to the dressing room."

"Just go!" Hokuto exclaimed, pushing the Kamui towards the dressing room. She took a few things from Kamui and waited outside.

"I wanna see each thing on you, Kamui-chan!" she said.

Kamui nodded meekly and went into the stall. He pulled on the first pair of jeans and a black mock turtleneck. The jeans were tight, but not too much so and the shirt was actually quite comfortable. He opened the door and went to show the older Sumeragi twin.

"You look great, Kamui-chan!" Hokuto squealed. Then she frowned. "It's missing something though."

She looked around and grabbed a low necked charcoal gray sweater. She handed it to Kamui, who quickly slipped it on.

"That's perfect! We're definitely getting that outfit for you!"

Kamui turned and looked at himself in the full length mirror. The ensemble actually didn't look that bad on him. He closed the stall door, stripped down and began to change.

After about an hour and a half of changing, showing the outfits to Hokuto, the elder Sumeragi suggesting something different, more changing and more modeling, Hokuto finally allowed Kamui to change back into his own clothes. Kamui quickly changed and was immediately dragged to the fabric department by Hokuto as Subaru pushed a cart full of clothes behind them.

"Come here, Kamui-chan and let me look at your eyes," Hokuto said.

Kamui did as instructed, wondering what his eye color had to do with whatever Hokuto had in mind. The girl hummed as she studied his eyes. She muttered something then went to look at the selection of silk fabric. She picked up a roll of pale violet silk and compared it to the color of Kamui's eyes. Hokuto nodded and put the fabric under her arm.

In the next ten minutes, Hokuto had picked out a selection of violets, reds, and teals. She asked for five yards of each roll and went back to the fabrics. She grabbed a roll of mesh fabric, black elastic, and a few zippers.

An hour later, the three teens finally left the department store and headed back to the apartments, their arms full of bags.

* * *

The next morning, Kamui woke up around ten o'clock. Subaru was already awake and just finishing putting his clothes on. The young onmyouji turned to Kamui and smiled.

"Ohaiyo, Kamui-san. Hokuto has already set out some clothes for you."

"She picked out what I'm wearing?"

"She does the same with me," Subaru said, shrugging. His gloved fingers tugged at the bottom of the black turtle neck he wore.

Kamui looked at the pile of folded clothes next to his bed. He got out of bed and changed as Subaru left the room. The outfit that Hokuto had set out for him consisted of tight black jeans, a shirt made out of a tanktop with mesh sleeves sewn onto it, and black silk gloves, identical to the ones that Subaru wore.

Kamui went out to the kitchen, where Subaru and Seishirou sat at the table. Kamui surpressed a shudder and sat down next to Subaru. Hokuto was in the kitchen, busily cooking away in a Victorian-style dress.

"Ohaiyo, Kamui-kun," Seishirou smiled. "I hope you slept well."

"Yes, I did," Kamui replied. "It's good to be out of the hospital and in a normal home again."

"I though so. You certainly slept through the commotion this morning."

"Seishirou-san!" Subaru exclaimed, blushing like mad.

Kamui chuckled. He may not like it, but Subaru and Seishirou truly seemed as though they belonged together. The conversation around him continued, but he paid no attention to it, as he contemplated if it was possible to get Seishirou to truly fall in love with the young onmyouji.

"Come to think of it, you got a fax today from the Sumeragi home," Hokuto said, breaking Kamui's concentration.

"What is it?" Seishirou asked. "Another job?"

"Yup."

"Onmyouji are so trendy these days, receiving work details via fax!"

Kamui shook his head and once again went back to work figuring out how to get the Sumeragi Clan Head and the Sakurazukamori together. When he finally began paying attention again, Subaru and Seishirou were gone and Hokuto was at the front door, pulling her shoes on. Kamui stood up.

"Finally decided to stop spacing off, eh, Kamui-chan?" Hokuto asked, turning around.

"Where'd Subaru and Sakurazuka-san go?" Kamui asked.

"Weren't you paying attention during breakfast?" Hokuto asked, her hands on her hips. "Subaru-chan has a job to do in Ebisu and Sei-chan took him there. Jeez, Kamui-chan, pay attention. Now come on, I'm going to try to get you enrolled at our school."

Kamui nodded and went over to the door to put on his shoes. Hokuto handed him a deep indigo denim jacket with a smile.

"I stayed up late last night making that for you," she beamed. "Hope it fits."

Kamui slipped the jacket on. It fit well.

"Come on, Kamui-chan."

* * *

Later that day, Kamui and Hokuto sat in Subaru's apartment. Kamui was looking though a bunch of textbooks, studying for the test that his class was going to be having in a few days. Hokuto had managed to pull a few strings and got Kamui enrolled. The elder Sumeragi twin was currently preparing dinner in the kitchen.

The door opened and Subaru stepped in. He toed his shoes off and hung up his jacket and hat.

"Tadaima," he called.

"Okaeri, Subaru-chan!" Hokuto called back from the kitchen. "Is Sei-chan with you?"

"No, he had to work. An emergency came up at the clinic and he has to perform surgery on an injured dog."

Kamui looked up from the textbook in his lap and saw that Subaru looked a bit sad.

"Something wrong, Subaru?" he asked.

"Huh?" Subaru asked. "Oh, it's nothing, Kamui-san. It's just that something bad happened to an old friend of mine."

Kamui nodded and decided not to pry as Hokuto had just asked him to set the table for her.

* * *

Kamui's dreams had changed. In his dreams, he saw the time when he had first met Subaru.

_(("On arikya maribori sowaka...Noubou akyasha kyarabaya..."))_

Kamui had gone Within himself after Kotori had been killed. He hadn't wanted to face reality and hid; ran away. Subaru had pulled him out, sharing his own experiences.

_((The man's hand shot through the girl's chest. Subaru's twin sister couldn't even scream as her heart was pierced.))_

Subaru had done just the same as Kamui had. And he was determined to help Kamui avoid becoming like him. Now, Kamui had the chance to repay the Sumeragi; by preventing the tragedy altogether.

It wouldn't be easy. The Sakurazukamori had no real emotions. But according to what Kamui knew, Seishirou had at least been somehow obsessed with the Sumeragi. And Subaru had always been in love with Seishirou.

_(("So this is how she died?"_

_"How she was killed. And I couldn't do anything to stop it."))_

He didn't know how he would do this, but he had to try. He would need help, that was certain. He just had to find the right person to help.

* * *

_Author's Note: That whole scene with the fax is from volume two of Tokyo Babylon. I got the dialogue from the TokyoPop translation. I figured that if this was going to be Tokyo Babylon, it had to have scenes from the manga. And that seemed the easiest to start with._

_Big shout out to **Chris Pwure** for my first review! Thank you!_


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Kamui opened his eyes and sat up. He looked over at Subaru, who lay sleeping in his bed. Something moved near the window of Subaru's bedroom and Kamui quickly looked over.

A magnificent black eagle sat on the window sill. Its golden gaze fixated on Subaru's sleeping form. Kamui immediately recognized it as the shikigami that belonged to the Sakurazukamori. The eagle noticed that Kamui was watching it and took off.

"So, you spy on him while he's asleep?" Kamui muttered. "How like you, Sakurazukamori."

* * *

It was a Sunday, so there was no school. Subaru and Hokuto were spending the day with Seishirou. They had asked Kamui to join them, but the amethyst-eyed boy politely turned down the offer, saying that he was planning to do something. In truth, he just wanted to spend some time on his own. He was currently walking around the city, no set destination in his mind.

"Kamui-chan!" a familiar voice called.

Kamui turned around. A young girl with light brown hair was running down the street towards him. Then he looked around, realizing that he stood in front of his old house. The girl stopped next to him. She looked at him and smiled.

"Hi!" she said.

"Hello," Kamui replied, a soft smile on his face.

"I'm meeting my friend, Kamui," the girl said. "I'm Kotori. Monou Kotori."

"Very nice to meet you, Kotori-chan."

Kotori looked at him. "You look like my friend. Maybe you're a cousin or something. Someone Auntie Tooru never talks about."

"I don't think so."

"Oh. Well..."

"Kotori-chan!" another familiar voice called. "You shouldn't talk to strangers!"

Kotori and Kamui looked over. A young boy was coming up behind them.

"Ah, but Onii-chan, he seems nice!"

"Still, 'Kaa-san says you shouldn't talk to strangers."

_Fuuma... _Kamui thought, _you were so different as a child. I just wish it hadn't been you who was destined to become my Twin Star. _

Kamui turned to Kotori. "I have to be on my way now. It was nice meeting you, Kotori-chan."

With that, he began walking off, not seeing his past self come out of the house towards young Fuuma and Kotori. He kept walking until he finally stopped just outside of a bakery. He was hungry, so he reached into his pocket, counted out some money and found that he had just enough for a small pastry and a cup of tea.

Going inside the bakery, Kamui noticed that there weren't many people inside. A young girl with tanned skin stood at the counter, a crossword puzzle in front of her. She was studying the crossword puzzle, a pen balanced between her nose and upper lip. Her bleached hair was tucked behind her ears.

"Excuse me," Kamui said. "Are you open?"

The girl looked up. The pen fell to the counter. "Oh, sorry. I didn't notice you come in. Yes, were open, this just isn't a busy time for us."

"Well, um, I'll just look around for something, okay?"

"Go ahead," the girl said, "I'll be right here."

Kamui nodded and the girl went back to her crossword puzzle. The shelves were packed with pastries and all of them looked quite delicious. Kamui was about to pick a blueberry Danish, but a woman came out of the kitchen with a precariously balance tray of fresh pastries.

"Ichigo-chan," she said, "we just finished a new batch of those strawberry pastries you created."

The woman noticed Kamui. She smiled and set the tray down. She picked up a pastry and handed it to Kamui.

"Here," she said, "on the house."

"Thank you."

"You should be thanking my daughter. She's the one who came up with the recipe."

Kamui took a bite of the pastry, the taste of strawberry filling his mouth. He smiled.

"This is delicious."

"Thank you!" the girl smiled.

"Could I get a glass of iced tea to go with this? And another of those strawberry pastries?" Kamui asked.

"Sure."

The girl put on a pair of rubber gloves, handed Kamui a pastry and gof to work on the tea.

"Just have a seat. I'll bring the tea to you."

"Thank you."

Kamui sat down at a table by the window. He bit into the pastry, his thoughts drifting to what he was going to do. Seishirou would be hard to deal with. Kamui already knew that Subaru was in love with Seishirou, but was too embarrassed to admit it.

"Something wrong, hon?" the girl asked, setting the glass of tea in front of Kamui.

"It's nothing really," Kamui said. "Just a small problem between a couple of friends of mine."

"Well, do you want to talk about it? We're about to close for a lunch break, so I have time on my hands."

Kamui shrugged. "I suppose."

The girl sat down after flipping the sign in the door. "First off, let's introduce ourselves. My name is Akiyama Kalulani. But everyone calls me Ichigo."

"Kalulani?"

"It's Hawaiian. My dad's from Hawaii. Mom started calling me Ichigo after she tried my pastry and it kinda stuck."

"I see," Kamui said. "I'm Shirou Kamui."

"Well, Kamui-kun, it's nice to meet you. So, what's going on?"

Kamui sighed. "Well, my friend is in loves with someone. And this someone claims to be in love with my friend, but it's all just an act so that he can win a bet."

"That's mean," Ichigo frowned. "Why is this guy being mean to her?"

"Actually," Kamui hesitated, "they're both guys."

"Really?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow in interest. "That's cute. So, what's up with this other guy? Why is he pretending to be in love with your friend?"

"I'm not quite sure on the details. And it's kinda complicated. You might not understand."

"Try me."

Another sigh escaped Kamui. He explained the entire thing, mention that he was from nine years in the future (Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this). When he finished explaining, Ichigo nodded.

"So, you're trying to keep Seishirou from dying and Subaru from committing suicide?"

"Yes."

"By making Seishirou truly fall in love with Subaru before the bet ends?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any clue how you're going to do this?"

"Ye---no..."

Ichigo smiled. "Well, if I know Hokuto, she'll do anything to help if you tell her about this. She's quite the persistent person."

"You know Hokuto?" Kamui asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "This is one of her favorite places. She comes in here a lot." She glanced at the door. "In fact, there she is right there."

Kamui looked over. Sure enough, there was the elder Sumeragi twin. Hokuto noticed the two of them and waved. Ichigo stood and opened the door. Hokuto bounded in and over to Kamui.

"Hey, Kamui-chan," she smiled.

"Hello," Kamui replied. "I was just talking to Ichigo-san here."

"I noticed. Hey, Ichigo-chan, do you have any of those delicious strawberry pastries?"

"Yeah, I'll go get one for you. On the house."

"Actually, I wanted to buy enough for the four of us for dessert tonight."

"Not a problem!"

Hokuto turned to Kamui as Ichigo headed over to fill the order. "So, what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, not much," Kamui lied. "We just talked."

"You must have talked about something. The two of your were pretty engrossed in your conversation."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

_Here we go again,_ Kamui thought. He explained everything to Hokuto, watching her reactions carefully. Hokuto's face showed a bit of rage and guilt when Kamui mentioned that Seishirou did not truly love Subaru, surprise when he told her who he really was and when he was from, her death didn't seem to phase her too much (she was surprised, but no hysterical)...what seemed to get her was the fact that Subaru would commit suicide two months after Seishirou's death.

"So, that's the truth, Hokuto," Kamui said. "I don't belong in this time. I died in 1999. I'm not sure how I got here, but while I have the chance, I want to save Subaru and Seishirou."

Hokuto thought about this. "Well, the only thing I can think of is convince Sei-chan that he loves Subaru. But if he's the Sakurazukamori, there's little chance. The Sakurazukamori is an emotionless killer. To make him show true emotion, we'd have to find the emotions in him And I'm not sure that even possible."

"It's possible, trust me," Kamui said. "Subaru told me what Seishirou told him on Rainbow Bridge. He said that Seishirou told him that he loved him."

"So, there's a chance?"

"Slight, but yes."

Hokuto nodded. "Then we have to get to work as soon as possible. But I'm not sure how we'd do this."

"I can help," Ichigo said. The girl was sitting next to Hokuto, unnoticed throughout the story Kamui told. She had been waiting to speak. "You could try candelit dinners, movies, karaoke..."

"Subaru-chan doesn't like karaoke," Hokuto told her friend. "He gets embarrassed and says that he can't sing and all that."

Kamui thought. "What kind of dinner would you consider romantic?"

Hokuto and Ichigo thought. Hokuto looked at Ichigo. "What about a Hawaiian-themed dinner?"

"Ooohh," Ichigo smiled. "Great idea. I can teach you some great recipes And I have a collection of Hawaiian music. Plus, I could teach you to hula as well, Hokuto-chan."

"How are we going to plan this?" Kamui asked. "We can't let either of them know."

"Easy, Kamui-chan," Hokuto said. "We plan it at my apartment. Subaru never comes in without knocking first."

"How do we keep it a secret from Seishirou, though? He can usually see right through a person."

"Simply. We don't let him find out about it."

_This isn't going to be easy, but we might just be able to pull it off, _Kamui thought.

* * *

Dreams come to people for a reason. People want to wake up in a good mood. Dreams do just that. Even nightmares, for when people wake, they are glad that it was "just a dream." Some hold special meaning. For Kamui, his dreams are visions of the future he had lived.

_((The girl was hanging from a cross constructed of beams and she was held up by wires. The older boy was holding the cross up with his telekinesis. The DarkKamui grabbed his former friend and pinned him to the wall, shoving the Shinken into Kamui's hand.))_

Kamui unconsciously ran his finger of the scar on his hand: the remnant of that wound.

_((Kamui screamed as Fuuma slammed glass into his shoulders. Pain ran though his fragile body.))_

Kamui moaned, remembering the pain, He rolled over violently in his sleep.

_(("Earth cries out for change. A change that humans will not interfere with."))_

The boy curled up into a ball, shivering.

_((Fuuma pulled the Shinken out of the younger boy's hand and leapt up, landing on one of the crossbeams that held his younger sister up. He raised the Shinken over his head and plunged it into Kotori's heart as Kamui screamed.))_

Kamui woke with a start. He bolted upright, clutching the blankets to his chest. His breath was ragged and his body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He took in a deep breath and sighed.

Dreams and nightmares do the same thing. They both put people in a good mood when they wake. Dreams can bring happiness to a person; nightmares wake a person and they are glad that it was not reality. For Kamui, it's different. For him, the nightmares are memories, not just dreams filled with terror. His nightmares remind him of the months before he died.

There was no escaping from them. They would always come back to him. The deaths of his friends would haunt him for eternity. Kamui had watched helplessly as his childhood friend changed and killed the gentle Kotori. He had seen the deaths of many of his friends. Subaru had committed suicide, leaving Kamui all but alone.

Kamui had to do what he could to prevent what he had seen. Subaru had meant the world to him and yet the older man had left after the death of Seishirou. Kamui had to prevent the deaths of Hokuto, Seishirou, and of course, Subaru. He had decided that that was why he had awoken in this day and age.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hope you don't hate me for always ending the chapters with Kamui having nightmares. It's a theme that's going to stick. That's why it's rated R, hon._

_**Mysterious blue eyes:** Thanks for the review! Here's your update!   
_**_Chris Pwure:_** _Of course I have to give you a shout out! And I'm glad you like this fic!   
__**Sarah:** Thanks for the review. But when you tried to give me the link, it didn't show. Send it to me again at MaliciousElf18 at yahoo dot com. With correct punctuation and stuff of course. I just like being annoying.   
__**JJ: **Well, here's an update and I can promise another next week!   
__**Esty Estylla Ryou: **Thanks for the review!   
__**Nikukie: **Oi. Yes, I know that it's a bit short, but this fic came slowly in the beginning. Thanks for the review, though!_


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Kamui sat watching Ichigo and Hokuto. The Hawaiian girl was teaching Hokuto some hula moves. Hokuto seemed to be getting the hang of the dancing. In fact, she was quite good so far. Ichigo had some Hawaiian music playing in the background.

Hokuto followed Ichigo through the entire dance. Then they stopped. The elder Sumeragi twin sat down on th esoga in her living room.

"Well," she said, "let's call it a night. We can go buy ingredients and stuff tomorrow. Ichigo, meet us here at noon, okay?"

"Can't," Ichigo said. "Mom and I have to deliver a bunch of cakes to some rich snob's party in Ebisu. Can we meet at two o'clock?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll see you then," Ichigo said. She turned and went over to the door. She grabbed her backpack, slipped on her shoes and left, waving good-bye to Hokuto and Kamui.

* * *

Hokuto looked at the clock. It was a quarter-past two. Kamui sat on the sofa next to her. Ichigo had not yet arrived.

"She's late," Hokuto huffed.

"They probably hit some traffic," Kamui told her. "It's not uncommon."

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Hokuto jumped up and bounced over to the door. She opened it and immediately glomped the girl at the door.

"You're late!" she said.

"Sorry," Ichigo replied. "Mom stayed talking to the guy in charge of the party. I think she was flirting with him."

"That's kinda cute."

"No, it's not. Mom's still married to Dad. They never divorced; he just had to move back to Lihue because of his job."

"Oh," was all Hokuto could say.

Kamui stood up. We'd better get going. We want to get everything done before Subaru gets home."

Hokuto and Ichigo nodded. Hokuto slipped her shoes on and followed Ichigo out the door with Kamui right behind them They hailed a taxi and gave directions for him to take them to the grocery store.

* * *

Subaru climbed up the stairs to his apartment. He passed Hokuto's on his way and noticed a note on the door. He took the note and read it.

_Subaru-   
__Kamui, Ichigo, and I went out. We'll be back in a couple of hours. Eat something. I left some sandwiches for you.   
__Hokuto_

Subaru sighed, rubbing his aching head, and went over to his apartment. After getting inside, he kicked off his shoes, went over to the fridge, grabbed the bottle of water he had put there earlier, and went to get some aspirin.

* * *

A few hours later, there was a knock at Subaru's door. The young Sumeragi groaned and climbed out of bed. He went to the front door and opened it, seeing Hokuto standing there. His sister hugged him.

"Your clothes are wrinkled," she said. She handed him a new set of clothes. "Put these on and come over to my apartment in ten minutes."

"Why, Hokuto-chan?"

"Just do it."

With that, she left, bounding back over to her own apartment. Subaru looked at the set of clothes and went into the bathroom to change. He slipped off his wrinkled clothes and put on the other set, not quite awake enough to realize what he was putting on. He looked in the mirror and immediately was wide awake.

"Oh, my God!" he gasped.

Hokuto had given him tight black leather pants, a mesh mock turtleneck and what looked like one of Seishirou's shirts. Subaru turned bright crimson in embarrassment.

"Hokuto-chaaaaannnnn!!!!" he whined to no one.

* * *

"Is everything ready?" Kamui asked. He looked into the kitchen, where Ichigo was putting the finishing touched on dinner. "Seishirou will be here any minute."

"One last thing!" Ichigo smiled. She set a single blossom on each dish.

Hokuto bounced in. "Subaru's on his way. Kamui-chan, thanks again for sneaking into Sei-chan's apartment for that shirt."

"Seishirou will wonder how Subaru got it," Kamui said. "That might not be a good thing. Seeing who Seishirou is and all."

"It's just a shirt. There's no way the Sakurazukamori would kill someone over a shirt."

The doorbell rang. Hokuto sped over to the door and opened it. Seishirou stood outside, looking as though he had just gotten off work (which he haad). He smiled at the elder Sumeragi twin.

"Hi, Hokuto-chan," he said. "You wanted me to come over?"

"Yup!" Hokuto beamed. "Come on in!"

Seishirou stepped inside, noticing right away that the only light came from the closed off kitchen and that something smelled wonderful.

"Trying a new recipe, Hokuto-chan?"

"Nope. One of my friends cooked tonight. Go ahead and sit down, Sei-chan."

Seishirou nodded and sat down in one of the side-by-side chairs at the table. He couldn't see into the kitchen (which was behind him), but he could tell that there were two people in there. One was Kamui and the other was a girl whom Seishirou had never met. He didn't notice when Subaru came in; at least not until the young man addressed him.

"Seishirou-san?"

Seishirou turned. He blinked. Then, convinced that he was seeing things, blinked again. Subaru was dressed in a different way than he had ever seen before.

"Subaru-kun..." Seishirou said. "You look...Is that one of my shirts?"

Subaru turned crimson. Seishirou blinked again, then turned towards Hokuto, who burst into laughter. Seishirou shook his head, bewildered at it all.

"Okay!" a female voice called from the kitchen. "Everything's set!"

There was a bit of whispering, then Kamui came out, carrying two plates of food. He set a plate in front of Seishirou and one in front of Subaru. The light in the kitchen was shut off and there was some shuffling as the girl in the kitchen went off. Kamui lit the two candles on the table and went into the living room.

Seishirou looked at the food, the candles, then at the blushing boy next to him. He smiled.

_Another one of Hokuto's dates..._

With the light of the candles, Seishirou could just see Hokuto and an unfamiliar girl come into the room. The two girls were dressed identically, in pale, skintight tanktops and grass skirts. There was a click as Kamui turned on some Hawaiian music.

Subaru and Seishirou watched as Hokuto and the other girl began to dance. The girl, obviously Hawaiian, must have taught Hokuto to dance. The two of them glided gracefully around the room in the elegant dance of the Hawaiian Islands.

Seishirou smiled and began to eat. He couldn't help but notice when Subaru began to lean onto his shoulder. He looked over, not expecting to see that Subaru was completely engrossed in the dance. He also wasn't expecting the strange feeling as his nerves were set fire when Subaru's hand found it's way to his arm.

_This is not good..._he thought.

The twenty-five year old man shook his head and continued eating, watching the girls dance, and trying to ignore the feeling that ran through his body. He knew he couldn't afford to lose the bet he had begun, but Subaru was making it damn hard at the moment.

* * *

After dinner, Seishirou left with a thank-you to Hokuto, Kamui, and Ichigo. He gave a quick smile to Subaru and left, suppressing the urge to give the boy a kiss. He headed outside and hailed a taxi to take him home to his own apartment. He knew that he would probably have a fax or two waiting for him, if not a whining Tree.

The taxi stopped in front of the apartment complex where he lived. Seishirou got out of the car and paid the driver. He headed upstairs to his apartment. Unlocking the door and going inside, he noticed that he had no faxes at all. Not a problem. He'd just go kill some random person off the road. The Tree was hungry, and it didn't care who it was fed; just as long as its hunger was satisfied.

* * *

_((The woman chanted a foreign spell and began to pull a sword from her body.))_

_Tokiko!_ Kamui's mind screamed. He pulled the blankets close to him.

_((His friend held him back. Kamui tried to run towards his aunt, his only blood relative._

_"STOP!! TOKIKO!!"))_

The nightmares were graphic; a reliving of his past. Every time he went to sleep, Kamui was tortured by the past. The future that his younger self would have to endure in nine years' time.

_((Tokiko's body broke into pieces. Blood splattered the walls of the Monou home. Her head fell and landed on the floor, rolling to Kamui's feet.))_

_I don't want to see these memories!_ Kamui's mind screeched.

_(("NOOOOO!!!!!"))_

The dream changed. No longer did Kamuisee blood-covered walls and a head in the middle of the floor. A young man appeared. His long blond hair fell in waves.

_(("Ka...kyou..."))

* * *

__Author's Note: Personally, right there, I wanted to scream "Let's play soccer with Tokiko's head!"   
__Yes, I'm twisted. And this chapter was a lot quicker to get done than I thought it was._

**_Mysterious blue eyes:_ **_Only too glad that you're hooked. I'm so happy you like this! Here's another update for you!_


	6. Chapter Five

_Author's Note: Aaaaaauuuuuggggghhhhhh!!!!!!

* * *

_

Chapter Five

The next morning, Kamui woke up early and tiptoed into the kitchen. He began pulling out ingredients and put together a meal of rolled omelets and miso soup. He was just pulling down dishes to set the table when Hokuto opened the door to the apartment and came in, Seishirou walking in just behind her.

"Ohaiyo, Kamui-chan!" Hokuto smiled. She sniffed the air. "Something smells delicious!"

"Yeah, I decided it was my turn to make breakfast," Kamui said with a soft grin. "Could you set the table for me while I go wake up Subaru?"

"Sure," Hokuto said. She reached into the bag she had brought with her. "Do me a favor and give these to Subaru. And then I want you to try these on."

The elder Sumeragi twin handed Kamui two sets of clothing. Kamui nodded and went into the bedroom he shared with Subaru. He flipped the lightswitch on and crossed the room to shake his friend awake. Subaru mumbled something under his breath and opened his eyes.

"Come on, Subaru," Kamui said. "Breakfast is ready. And Hokuto-chan wants you to wear these."

Subaru took the clothes from Kamui with a yawn and went into the bathroom to wash and change. Kamui changed out of his pajamas and tossed them onto his bed then pulled on the set of clothes that Hokuto had given him. He looked down at himself; Hokuto had given him black vinyl pants and a loose sweater that matched the color of his eyes exactly. It looked rather good on him. He pulled on the black gloves that Hokuto insisted he wear and left the bedroom.

"Hmmm," Hokuto said as she looked over at Kamui. "It looks good, but we need a couple finishing touches." She pushed up the sleeves of Kamui's sweater half-way to his elbows and tugged the fabric over the ends of the sleeves. She smiled. "There!"

"It looks good," Seishirou said from where he sat at the table. "Though I can't wait to see what you had Subaru-kun put on."

Hokuto giggled. "Oh, you'll just love it, Sei-chan!"

At that moment, there was a squeak from the bathroom, followed by Subaru's voice. "Ho-Hokuto-chaaaan!!!"

Hokuto burst into laughter. Seishirou raised an eyebrow in the girl's direction then looked at Kamui, who merely shrugged.

"I can't come out there wearing this!!" Subaru exclaimed from the bathroom.

"Oh, yes, you can, Subaru!" Hokuto said. "And you will!"

There was some incoherent mumbling from the bathroom and Subaru came out, blushing wildly. He was dressed in black leather pants that looked as though they had been painted on and a loose, emerald green shirt with sleeves that reached to Subaru's knuckles. The shirt was a v-neck that was way too wide and showed a bit of Subaru's collarbone.

Seishirou could do nothing but stare. _How did Hokuto manage that?! Subaru-kun is allowed to be cute; cute is fine with me. Cute and seductive at the same time, however..._

He quickly squashed down the off-color thoughts that were beginning to emerge in his mind. He managed a smile and commented on how Subaru looked without managing to lose control of his thoughts again.

"Any reason for the sudden change in style, Hokuto-chan?" Seishirou asked.

Hokuto shrugged. "One of my friends designs her own outfits as well and we've started swapping tips."

"Would this friend happen to be Ichigo-chan?"

"Bingo!"

Seishirou nodded. Akiyama Ichigo seemed like a nice girl. She had helped Hokuto and Kamui with the dinner last night. It had obviously been the girl's influence that had Hokuto dress Subaru the way she had last night. Seishirou still wondered how they had managed to get one of his shirts. He knew it was his, as it smelled exactly like his aftershave.

"How old is Ichigo-san, by the way?" Subaru asked.

"She's a little older than us," Hokuto said. "Eighteen, I think."

Seishirou noticed that the neck of Subaru's shirt had slipped over one shoulder. Subaru obviously had also noticed as he blushed and pulled it back over, accomplishing nothing, as the other side slipped down as he did so.

They finished breakfast in what you wouldn't exactly call silence (as Hokuto and Kamui kept teasing Subaru and Seishirou). As it was not a school day, Kamui and Hokuto headed off to see Ichigo right after breakfast, leaving Subaru and Seishirou to go about their day alone.

* * *

"So, how are things this morning?" Ichigo asked, letting Kamui and Hokuto in. Her mother didn't need her at the bakery that day, so she was going over a few textbooks that she had bought (as she didn't go to school).

"They're going well," Hokuto said, giggling. "Thanks for the outfit idea, by the way. Sei-chan loved it; I could tell by the way he kept staring."

"Is that the one with the v-neck shirt and leather pants?" Ichigo asked, looking at her friend.

"Yup."

"I hope you don't mind if I make some tea?" Hokuto asked, getting up.

"Go ahead," Ichigo said.

There was relative silence until Hokuto came back. Ichigo thanked Hokuto as the girl handed her a mug of tea. She stared at her textbook for a moment then closed it with an exasperated sigh. Kamui noted that the book was about statistics. He smiled a bit, knowing the older girl's pain.

"So, what's going on later?" Ichigo asked.

"We're trying to figure something out for tonight, if possible," Hokuto said. "I suggested a walk and picnic in the park, but Kamui said no."

"I just don't like being in Ueno Park," the amethyst-eyed boy said. "I mean, that's where the Tree is and where...where Subaru committed suicide..."

"Explain to me again what exactly it is about this tree that has you worried," Ichigo said, taking a sip of her tea.

"The Tree is what gives the Sakurazukamori his powers," Kamui explained. "And I believe that the Tree has something to do with how this whole mess began. I mean, I'm not quite sure about all the details, but from what I know, Subaru first met Seishirou beneath that Tree."

"Which is where the bet began, right?" Hokuto asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"So, the Tree is also where Subaru committed suicide?" Ichigo asked.

_((Blood seeped from the wounds, running down into the ground...))_

"Yeah."

"Okay," Ichigo said, "no picnics under the Tree. Why not at another part of the park? As far from the Tree as possible?"

"I dunno..." Kamui began.

"Forget the picnic, we could go out for ice cream," Hokuto said. "Sei-chan loves ice cream."

Ichigo's deep violet eyes sparkled. "Ice cream, huh?" She giggled.

"What?" Kamui asked.

"One word," Ichigo said between giggles, "innuendo."

Hokuto burst into laughter. Kamui smirked. He should have known. Fuuma had been big on innuendo.

After another hour or two of discussion, Hokuto looked at the clock. It was close to two o'clock.

"We'd better get going," she said, standing up and adjusting her rabbit ears and smoothing out her skirt. "We'll have to skip plans for tonight. Maybe tomorrow."

Kamui and Hokuto left the apartment after slipping their shoes on and saying good-bye to Ichigo. They headed straight home, where Kamui discovered that Subaru had received a fax. Hokuto quickly paged Subaru and shortly later, the phone rang, with Subaru asking what it was.

About a half-hour later, Subaru returned home, with Seishirou just behind him. Hokuto handed Subaru the work details that had arrived by fax. Subaru read the details out loud for Hokuto and Seishirou as Kamui listened in from the kitchen, where he was washing dishes. Someone had been calling all the phone numbers that ended with the digits 1999. When Subaru read the question that each person reported being asked, he dropped a piece of china, smashing it to pieces.

Subaru and Hokuto rushed in as Kamui fell to the floor. The amethyst-eyed teen reached up and grabbed the counter as he covered his face with the other hand. He shuddered and gasped.

"Kamui! Are you okay?!" Subaru asked, his eyes full of worry.

"Kamui-chan! Kamui-chan, answer us!" Hokuto urged. "Are you all right?!"

Kamui just sat there, shuddering and gasping for breath as images of blood and destruction ran through his mind. Earthquakes...he could feel the earthquakes caused by the Chi no Ryu, led by his best friend. Kamui could just barely hear Subaru call his name and Hokuto tell Seishirou to call a doctor as he lost consciousness.

* * *

_((Sunshine 60 was falling.))_

Hokuto sat next to Kamui's bed in the hospital, holding one hand to her chest and gripping Kamui's hand with the other. Her eyes were full of worry for her friend. Subaru could not stay, because of the job he had received. Hokuto had volunteered to stay by Kamui's side and she had done so all day.

_(("This place falls-- unless you create a kekkai, of course," the Dark Kamui smirked. "Or is that too much to ask of you, yet?"_

_"H-how...?"))_

"Kamui..." Hokuto whispered. "Please wake up."

The doctor had checked on Kamui. He had no clue as to why the young man had collapsed. There were no explanations to the coma that Kamui seemed to be in.

_(("How do I know? Is that it?" Fuuma asked. He placed a hand on Kamui's cheek. "Because I know everything about you."_

_The Dark Kamui looked almost exactly as he had before._

_"Fuuma--"))_

Kamui was breathing through an oxygen mask as an extra precaution. His pulse was normal. Nothing seemed to be wrong with him.

_(("Because **I** am Kamui...Just as **you** are Kamui."_

_Pain seared through Kamui's body as Fuuma telekinetically slashed him to ribbons.))_

"There's nothing I can do," the doctor had told Hokuto. "There are no signs of injury, no implications of a concussion, nothing. I can't explain it."

_(("Leave him alone!"))_

_(("Why?" an injured Subaru asked. "Why do you...?_

_"Why do I look like Seishirou? Isn't that what you want? To see Seishirou again. Isn't that your Wish?"_

_With that, the Dark Kamui's fingers stabbed into Subaru's right eye, immediately blinding it.))_

"Come on, Kamui..." Hokuto whispered. "Wake up."

Kamui didn't do so. His eyes remained closed, his breathing steady. Hokuto sighed. A nurse came in to check on Kamui and inform Hokuto that she had to leave for the day; visiting hours were just about over.

Hokuto nodded, grabbed her bag and left the room.

* * *

When Kamui woke up the next morning, he was immediately attended to by the nurse that had just come in. She checked for any signs of....anything, really. No one could explain the coma that the boy had been in, hence everyone was worried that he might relapse. When the nurse left, Hokuto and Subaru came in. The elder of the twins rushed over to Kamui and hugged him.

"Thank God!" she cried. "You're awake! We were so worried about you, Kamui-chan!"

Kamui put an arm around Hokuto to reassure her. "I'm fine, Hokuto. I've been through worse."

"But you collapsed so suddenly!"

"None of us knew what happened, Kamui," Subaru said. "You just suddenly fell, had difficulty breathing, then you passed out. The doctors couldn't explain it. You were unconscious all day yesterday."

Kamui looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"It wasn't your fault, Kamui," Subaru told him. "You lost consciousness. No one can be at fault there."

Kamui nodded, but still looked upset. He knew that he wasn't at fault. It was his memories that had caused him to lose consciousness. All the pain, the visions of blood and destruction, they had been too much at the time. The shock at the wave of memories had knocked him out.

"The doctors want to keep you a little longer, to make sure you don't relapse," Hokuto said. "You don't mind if we visit, do you?"

"Not at all."

Subaru smiled. "Well, I'll be by again later. I have to go finish up that job."

"You be careful, Subaru," his sister told him. "It sounds as if those girls are dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine, Hokuto-chan. I promise."

With that, Subaru left the room. Kamui watched his friend leave, then looked down at his hands, which were in his lap. Hokuto turned to him.

"Kamui-chan," she said. "Don't blame yourself for making us worry. I know that your past hurts, but it's over. "

"Yes, for me," Kamui replied, closing his eyes. "But Subaru and Seishirou have to go through that nightmare, and my other self and Kotori and Fuuma...they all have no clue to what their future holds. And perhaps, I can change things for them."

_(("That girl," Hinoto said, "was destined to die. Whichever path you chose, her fate was sealed."))_

"Some destinies can't be changed," he continued. "But I want to save Subaru and Seishirou from the destiny that awaits them.And I have to change your destiny."

"Kamui-chan," Hokuto said. "My destiny doesn't matter. I don't want to die, but if it's for Subaru's sake..."

"You don't understand, Hokuto. If this plan fails, and Seishirou doesn't love Subaru...you'll die. Or Subaru will."

_((The man's hand shot through the girl's chest. Subaru's sister couldn't even scream as she died. Sumeragi Hokuto had sacrificed herself to save her brother.))_

"The plan will work. We know what didn't work last time. Or perhaps it did work, and it just took Sei-chan that long to realize it."

Kamui thought back to the other day at the dinner that he, Hokuto, and Ichigo had put together. He remembered seeing how much Subaru and Seishirou belonged together in that one moment, when Subaru had leaned onto Seishirou as they watched the dance.

"You know," he said. "I think he's beginning to weaken. Didn't you notice at dinner the other day?"

"That he was surprised when Subaru leaned onto his shoulder?" Hokuto asked. "Yeah. And at breakfast yesterday, I could see that he was slightly turned on by the outfit I had Subaru in."

Kamui laughed. "That was priceless. The look on his face."

Hokuto smiled. "You have a nice laugh, Kamui-chan. And your smile is beautiful."

Kamui looked at her. He blushed slightly. "Um...thank you."

There was a bit of silence. Then Hokuto pulled out a notebook and a pen.

"Golden Week is coming up, you know. It's in three weeks. If we start planning now, I think we can make reservations for a trip to Hokkaido."

"Hokkaido?" Kamui asked. "Why Hokkaido?"

"Because, Kamui-chan, Hokkaido is famous for its hot springs," Hokuto said, a glint in her eye. "I think we should take Subaru and Sei-chan up there for Golden Week. We could do some hiking around Mt. Asahi-dake and check out some of the hot spring resorts. Think about it. If Subaru and Seishirou get in a hot spring together, we may get some results."

Kamui thought. He nodded. "It may just work."

* * *

After Kamui was released from the hospital a couple days later, he and Hokuto began planning the trip to Hokkaido. They decided that they would definitely going to do some hiking, after which they would go to a resort and spend the night, making sure that Subaru and Seishirou had to share one room.

"Subaru will just die of embarrassment if he had to share a bed with Seishirou," Hokuto said. "Be sure to book them a room with two beds."

"Got it," Kamui said. He picked up the phone and dialed the number for the resort that Hokuto wanted to stay at. After a twenty-minute conversation, he managed to get two rooms with two beds each.

"It's too bad Ichigo-chan couldn't come with us," Hokuto sighed. "She could help us come up with more ideas to throw Subaru at Sei-chan."

"Well, she told me that she was going back to Hawaii to visit her father for Golden Week," Kamui said. "And since she said she doesn't get a lot of chances to see her father, she's really looking forward to it."

"Maybe we can talk to her for ideas before she leaves."

"She's really good at that," Kamui grinned. "I'll give her a call."

* * *

Seishirou didn't dream often. When he did, he couldn't remember what he dreamt. But this time, he woke up covered in sweat. Something about his dream had disturbed him.

The dream started off with him at work, some poor helpless animal put in his care had died during an operation. No biggie. He would tell the family of the boy who owned the cat the truth of its death and he would use the cat's energy to feed the Tree.

Then...Subaru had come in.

What Subaru was wearing through him off. It must have been hot outside, for the young Sumeragi was wearing emerald green shorts that showed youthful legs, a cropped mesh t-shirt, a short vest that matched the shorts, fingerless gloves, and to top it off, he wore a black choker. The choker was complete with a tag that said "Property of Seishirou-san."

That's where he woke up. Great. Just great. His dreams were being fucked with. By what force, he had no clue. But now he was in a bad mood. Something was going to die.

* * *

_Author's Note: Okay, I know I usually end with Kamui's dreams, but this was too tempting. Besides, I already wrote that coma nightmare._


	7. Chapter Six

_Author's Note: Gods, it's nice to take a break from Ces Larmes Je Pleure. All the angst was getting to me._

_All the information I got for the Hokkaido trip is from an old travel guide that I got from a used bookstore.

* * *

_

Chapter Six

"So, why are you taking us to Hokkaido?" Seishirou asked.

Hokuto smiled. "Because it's Golden Week and everyone deserves a vacation during Golden Week."

"But why Hokkaido?" Subaru inquired. "I mean, it's so far from Tokyo. And does Obaa-chan know?"

'I've always wanted to go to Hokkaido. The hot springs sound so wonderful. And yes, I did mention something to Obaa-chan about the trip. She wasn't too happy that you'd be out of town, in case some emergency occurred, but I told her that you weren't the only onmyouji in the family. Someone else can handle your job for a while."

_(Author's Note: So sue me if that statement is false.)_

Kamui stared out the window of the bullet train, watching the scenes rush by. He had been looking forward to this trip, not only because it would mean that he would be able to tease Subaru, but also because he got the chance to get far away from Tokyo, where his past/future lie to haunt him. He and Hokuto had planned this trip to the finest details. The two of them had ever brought clothes for Subaru and Seishirou. Hokuto had insisted that Subaru and Seishirou had to have matching skiing outfits.

The trip to Sapporo by way of the Hokutosei Express would take sixteen hours. Kamui was certain that he would be able to catch up on some lost sleep on the way. So, as Hokuto teased Subaru and Seishirou, Kamui snuggled up on the seat and closed his eyes. He shortly fell into a light sleep. And the dreams began.

_((Angered at Daisuke's death, Kamui rushed towards Fuuma, ready to strike. He pulled his arm back, gathering energy. He struck out, his hand jutting into his Twin Star's shoulder. Then, another part of Kamui's mind took over: the side that never wanted to hurt the Dark Kamui, as it was hurting Fuuma. He let out a small gasp._

_The Dark Kamui took his Twin Star's hand and placed it above his heart._

_"This," he said, "this is the spot. Here. You see? This is where you want to aim."_

_Kamui was frozen where he stood, tear flowing down his cheeks. Small, almost inaudible sobs escaped him._

_"What's wrong?" Fuuma asked, an evil smile on his face. "Go on…I'll die. One blow is all it takes."))_

A tear slid down Kamui's cheek as he slept, unnoticed by everyone.

_(("But why?" Kamui choked. "Tell me! Fuuma…why?!"_

_The Dark Kamui took a hold of his young Twin Star. He leaned forward, tilted Kamui's face towards him, and licked Kamui's tears away._

_"Chances like that don't come around too often," he said. "Pity to have wasted it, Kamui." _

_Fuuma licked more of Kamui's tears away then blasted the younger teen into a nearby wall. Pain filled Kamui's body and blood ran down it._

_"If you truly want to kill me," the Dark Kamui said, "you'll have to mean it."_

_He approached the other boy. Kamui couldn't move, he felt that his ribs were at least cracked, if not broken. Fuuma put a hand on Kamui's chest._

_"This is the heart," he said, pressing down. "I can cut it out, carve it up. Perhaps it would be best if I ate it?"_

_Kamui could only whimper as more tears streamed from his eyes.))_

_((Ten no Ryu," the Dark Kamui mused, unfazed by Sorata and Arashi's interruption._

_A ball of electricity glowed in Sorata's hand. "Kamui's still a kid—unsure of his heart! We're here to help him make the right choices!"))_

_(("Are you now? How very…helpful…of you," Fuuma said, caressing Kamui's head. He ran his fingers over the sobbing boy's lips. "But I think I know what Kamui really wants. I always have."))_

"Kamui-chan!"

Kamui opened his eyes. Hokuto stood over him, worry in her eyes. Kamui sat up. Subaru and Seishirou weren't around.

"Are you all right?" Hokuto asked. "You were crying, Kamui-chan."

"They keep coming back. The memories of everything that's happened to me. They just won't leave me alone."

Hokuto leaned over and hugged her friend. "It's okay, Kamui. It's in your past. It can't hurt you."  
"It just…feels so real," Kamui said. "They were real. It's as if I'm reliving the torture. Everyone I cared about…they were all killed. And Fuuma…I cared so much about him. He killed me."

Hokuto listened to Kamui and tried to comfort him as much as she could. She knew that there wasn't much that she could do, but she felt that she had to try.

After a while, Kamui sunk into silence. Subaru and Seishirou came back a few minutes later with four bento lunches. Seishirou passed the packed boxes around and the group ate. Kamui watched in silence as Hokuto poked fun at her brother. The amethyst-eyed teen contemplated joining in on occasion but didn't.

They hadn't been on the train for more than a couple of hours before the sun set. Eventually, all of them fell asleep. Kamui's rest was rather uneasy; the fear of more memories made him toss and turn. Luckily no nightmares haunted him that night.

* * *

The next morning, Kamui woke when a finger poked him in the ribs. He opened his eyes and saw Hokuto with a finger pressed to her lips. She was pointing in Subaru and Seishirou's direction. Kamui looked over and saw that Subaru had fallen over into Seishirou's lap as he slept. Seishirou was still asleep and had one hand on Subaru's waist.

Hokuto dragged Kamui aside into another car, where the both of them burst out laughing. Hokuto pulled out a camera and snuck back to where he brother and friend remained aslepep. She managed to snap a couple of photos before Subaru woke up and saw where his head was.

"Oh, GOD!!" Subaru exclaimed, blushing madly and bolting upright.

Hokuto and Kamui went off into another bout of laughter.

* * *

That night, Kamui and Hokuto retired to the room they had reserved, leaving Subaru and Seishirou to the second. Subaru had protested (and they had expected this), but had finally retreated when Kamui simply unpacked and went to bed.

"Hey, Hokuto-chan," Kamui said, "Do you think that this might help Subaru win the bet? I mean, what he told me in the future was that the terms were that he had to get Seishirou to feel something. I don't think that lust counts and that's all I really see in Seishirou's eyes."

"There's a thin line between love and lust, correct?" Hokuto asked, answering from where she was brushing her teeth.

"Kamui blinked at Hokuto's uncanny ability to dodge a question and still stick to it somewhat. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, my theory is that Sei-chan's stopped at that line, unwilling to cross it. This trip could be what it takes for us to kick him over that line."

"Uh…okay."

"So, no. I'm not certain this will work completely, but definitely to our advantage.

Kamui thought this over as Hokuto finished up and climbed into the bed opposite of his. "I hope this will work as more than just a first step."

* * *

"Come on," Hokuto called. "It's just a little further to the half-point. Then we can have lunch."

Kamui was right behind Hokuto, climbing his way up the small incline with the help of a long walking stick he had picked up. Subaru and Seishirou came up in the rear, with Seishirou carrying the backpack that held the blanket, plates, and eating utensils. Hokuto had packed a picnic and had insisted that they eat on their way to the small inn just a few miles away.

"This is the perfect spot!" Hokuto proclaimed, looking around the small clearing. "I'm glad I brought a camera! Look at the view!"

Subaru looked. He smiled. "It is beautiful," he said. "It's too bad you wouldn't let me bring my sketchpad. My sensei would have loved a sketch of this view."

"It's Golden Week, Subaru-chan!" Hokuto said. "I couldn't let you do homework during Golden Week!"

"She's right, you know," Seishirou said, pulling off the backpack and setting it down. "This is a week for a break. Even the toughest workers are sitting back and relaxing."

"Come on, Subaru," Kamui said. "Sit down and stop worrying about your homework."

Hokuto set down the basket she carried as Seishirou spread out the blanket. She began pulling out containers of food she had cooked at the last inn. She was glad that they had let her use the kitchen. Then again, "Anything for one of the Sumeragi," the elderly innkeeper had told her. Apparently, the inn had had trouble in the past and had contacted the Sumeragi Clan in hopes of help. The elder Sumeragi twin had Kamui help her pass out the food and shortly the four of them were enjoying a delicious meal. Hokuto had kept the miso in a large thermos to keep it warm and had served hot tea with the meal. She had made a large batch of sushi and kept it in the small cooler that fit into the basket.

After the meal, Hokuto and Seishirou put what they could back into the backpack and the basket. Subaru and Kamui sat in silence, enjoying the view that the clearing provided. After a few extra minutes of rest, the group started hiking again. Every half hour or so, they would break for water. They finally reached the inn, just an hour before sunset.

Settling into their rooms, the group prepared for the night. Hokuto had Kamui talk Subaru into going to the inn's hot springs. The two teens got into the hot springs a few minutes later, enjoying the natural heat of the springs. Subaru closed his eyes and relaxed utterly and completely. Kamui smiled and quietly slipped out of the hot springs. He wrapped up in his robe and went into the room he shared with Hokuto. The older Sumeragi had just sent Seishirou to the hot springs.

Hokuto and Kamui snickered. Then Kamui went into the bathroom to get ready for dinner. Hokuto went into the dining hall to see what was on the menu.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set when Seishirou got into the hot springs. Subaru was already there, but he was so relaxed, he wouldn't know it if a massive earthquake hit. The older man smirked, his golden eyes glimmering. He edged closer to the Sumeragi and reached out to play with a few strands of the jet-black hair that covered those beautiful emerald eyes. However, as soon as his fingers brushed against Subaru's forehead, the teen's eyes snapped open.

"S-S-Seishirou-san!" Subaru stammered, blushing wildly.

Seishirou quickly smiled. "You seemed to be falling asleep, Subaru-kun. That probably wouldn't be a good idea. You could get too warm and have to stay in bed for the rest of the trip."

"I…I'm sorry, Seishirou-san," Subaru said, "but I think I'm ready to get out."

With that, Subaru grabbed his robe and climbed out of the hot spring. The sun had finally set, so all Seishirou could see out of the light was Subaru's silhouette.

_You are so innocent, Subaru-kun,_ Seishirou thought. _I wonder what it will take to break you. Perhaps, it won't be an easy thing to do, perhaps it will. We shall see.

* * *

At dinner, Kamui and Hokuto both noticed the tension between Subaru and Seishirou. Wondering what was going on, Kamui pulled Subaru aside. The smaller teen seemed upset about something._

"Subaru, what happened?" Kamui asked.

"That little stunt you pulled," Subaru replied. "Why did you do that? You left and got Seishirou-san to come into the spring."

"I left to go to the bathroom," Kamui lied, hoping Subaru wouldn't be able to see through it. "I didn't see Seishirou go in."

"Kamui, I don't know if you know it, but being around Seishirou-san…puts me off…"

"Subaru…"

"I don't know what it is about him that makes me so upset," Subaru continued. "He's always joking around alongside Hokuto-chan, he's always telling me that he's in love me…"

"What do you think of Seishirou?" Kamui interrupted.

Subaru turned bright red. "S-S-Seishirou-san…He's…a good friend."

Kamui smiled. "You're blushing."

Subaru turned even redder, covering his face with his hands. Kamui snickered.

"Kamui-san!" Subaru whined. "Please don't make fun of me!"

"I'm not. It's just amusing when you do that."

Subaru turned and headed back to the table where Hokuto and Seishirou waited patiently. Kamui followed him and sat in the chair next to Hokuto before Subaru could, forcing the younger Sumeragi to take the seat next to Seishirou.

_This is going to be fun, _Kamui reflected.

* * *

_Author's Note: Oi. I can't write anymore for this chapter. Not without going into the next chapter's plot. _

_**Chris Pwure: **Sorry that I couldn't get this chapter done faster. The first five were written months ago, that's why they came in so quickly. This one I just finished._

_**Subaru's Voice:** Glad you like the new outfits for Subaru and Kamui. Much better, don't you think? Especially for Kamui. He needs something besides school uniforms._

_**Julie:** I'm glad you find this fic enjoyable. If you want to see a picture I drew of Subaru wearing that outfit, go to www . deviantart . com / deviation /__ 11052727 / (Cept without the spaces, of course!)_

_**Touya's Angel: **I completely intend on finishing this fic. Look forward to more updates in the future!_

_**YuLian-Jade-Dragon: **I'm continuing! Thanks for the review!_


	8. Chapter Seven

_Author's Note: Bear with me people. This story is coming slowly. I'm trying to update once every two weeks, but you never know. Seeing as I'm working on this story as well as Aprés and Ces Larmes Je Pleure at the same time, none of them are going to be updated very quickly. But I try._

Chapter Seven

Subaru couldn't sleep, though he knew he should. It was the final night of the Hokkaido vacation; they would head home the next day. Something was wrong. The young Sumeragi Master could feel a state of magical disturbance. Worried, he climbed out of bed and slipped on his robe, tiptoeing past Seishirou, who was asleep in his own bed. He headed outside and followed the trace of energy towards its source.

A man was standing down the hall, facing an open door. The man was a foreigner, with pale skin and shoulder-length blonde hair. His face was frozen in shock. Subaru hurried over and immediately saw why. The room was completely trashed and in the middle of the room stood the spirit of a teenage girl, who looked almost exactly like the foreigner.

"Iain, you bastard!" the spirit shrieked, throwing a ball of spiritual energy towards the foreign man.

"Look out!" Subaru cried. He shoved the other man to the side, out of the way of danger.

"No!" the spirit shouted.

"What's going on?!" Iain asked, frightened.

"I'm sorry!" Subaru said. "There's a spirit in that room; a young woman. She looks like you, with long, curly blonde hair. "

Iain's eyes widened. "Avi?"

"What did you do with it?!" the spirit shrieked. Her blue eyes glowed with silver light. "Where is it?!"

"What does she want?" Iain asked, his own blue eyes focused on the spirit. "I can't hear her, but she looks pissed."

"She's looking for something," Subaru told him.

"Why can you hear her, when I, her own brother, can't?"

"I'm an onmyouji. A spiritualist."

Avi looked toward Subaru and Iain. "Hey, kid. Tell that bastard of a brother of mine that I want my locket!"

"Locket?" Subaru asked. "What locket?"

Iain looked down. "Shit…"

"Iain-san," Subaru said. "What locket is Avi-san looking for?"

"Hey! Iain, you little cunt, what did you do with my locket?!"

"Iain-san," Subaru said firmly.

Iain reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver heart-shaped locket. It was engraved with the name "Avalon" and had a ruby set in it. He opened the locket and inside was a photo of two blonde teens. He closed it again after staring at the photo and held it to his chest.

"I'm sorry, Avi," Iain said. "I just…wanted something to remember you by. Mom and Dad sold all of your things after you died, so at your funeral, I saw your locket and…just took it. I'm sorry."

The spirit visibly relaxed, a soft smile on her face. She edged closer to Iain and leaned forward. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Iain, you idiot. You don't need a stupid locket to remember me by," she said.

"What is she saying?" Iain asked Subaru.

Subaru told him. He relayed Avi's message to Iain and the young man dropped the locket. His blue eyes filled with tears.

"Sis…I'm sorry."

Avi's spirit hugged her brother. At least, as well as she could without going through him. She smiled at him.

"Keep the locket," she said. "If you had let me know sooner, I wouldn't have been so angry with you. I love you, Iain. And I don't like being mad at you."

Subaru relayed the message. Iain began to cry.

"I'm sorry, Avi. I'm really sorry."

Avi's spirit turned to Subaru. "Thanks for helping us. I'm sorry we caused you trouble."

"It's not a problem," Subaru replied. "I'm glad I could help."

"Thanks anyway. You're a nice kid. Sorry I yelled at you."

Subaru nodded. "It's okay."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, now that I have this behind me, I think it's time for me to move on. Tell my brother not to be too hard on himself for this. Nothing was really his fault."

Subaru turned to Iain. "Iain-san, your sister has to go now. She says that none of this was really your fault."

Iain looked up as Avi's spirit left. He dried his eyes and whispered a good-bye to her.

"Thank you," Iain said, picking up the locket. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. My older sister and I didn't often get mad at each other, but when we did, it was awful."

"It's alright," Subaru said. "I've seen much worse."

"Um…would you like to come into my room? I'd like to talk to you."

"Okay," Subaru said.

Iain went inside with Subaru just behind him. He began picking up the objects that Avi had thrown in her rage.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was you relationship with your sister like?" Subaru asked.

"Well, it was typical of an American sibling rivalry," Iain said. "She's older than me by a couple of years and I always felt inferior to her, so I often tried to outshine her. But she always just found it cute that her little brother was trying to prove something."

"I see."

"She was actually a lot nicer than one would expect judging by her appearance. I mean, if her spirit wasn't in the outfit that she was buried in, Avi would be wearing black jeans, chains, and mesh. It wasn't that she was Gothic, she just liked to dress differently."

"I know what that's like," Subaru laughed. "My own sister is the same way. She makes her own clothes, and often makes outfits for me as well."

Iain laughed as well. "That's interesting. I'm sure your sister and mine would probably have gotten along well if they had met."

"Probably. So, about the locket?"

"I gave it to her for her birthday a year before she died. I had saved up my allowance for months, just to buy it for her. I even had her name inscribed in it."

"Avalon?"

"Yeah. My mother's family was of Gaelic descent, so she wanted to name her children in honor of our heritage."

"What happened to her that she died?"

"She got pneumonia. She had to work outside in the snow for several hours one day and had a cold when she got home. It got worse and after a couple of days we took her to the hospital. A few days later, she died. If we had seen the symptoms earlier, she might have made it through."

"I'm sorry," Subaru said.

"Thanks," Iain replied. "Anyway. When she died, my parents were so upset that they had a garage sale to get rid of her things, and what they couldn't sell, they gave to charity. I had nothing to remember her by, so on the day of her funeral, I snuck in and stole the locket from around her neck."

"And she wanted it back."

"She found me a year ago. My family moved away from the city where Avi was buried and went to California. I finished most of high school, becoming an exchange student in my senior year. I went to France and somehow Avi managed to follow me. Then I came here after finishing high school. I wanted to become a manga artist."

"That's an aspiring occupation," Subaru said.

"I know. I've always liked reading manga, though I only had old volumes of some manga that I didn't even know the title of," Iain said. "Again, Avi followed me. I saw her, but never could hear what she was saying. I didn't know that she wanted her locket back. I suppose she cherished it more than I knew."

"To want it back after so much time, she must have."

Iain finished picking up the mess and looked at Subaru. "Thanks again…er, I never got your name."  
"Sumeragi Subaru."

"Subaru-san, thank you so much for helping me. I'm sorry that I have no way to repay you."

"It's alright."

Iain smiled.

"I'd better get back to my room," Subaru said. "It was nice getting to know you, Iain-san."

"Perhaps someday we will meet again," Iain said.

"Maybe," Subaru smiled. With that, he left the room and headed back to his own.

Inside, Seishirou was sitting up in bed. The red pajamas that Hokuto had made for him shone in the little light that came in through the open door. He looked up as Subaru came in.

"Subaru-kun, there you are!" Seishirou said. "I woke up and you weren't in bed."

"I'm sorry," Subaru said, bowing. "Something came up down the hall and I went to help. A spirit was haunting a young man."

"Did you help the young man?"

"Yes," Subaru replied, crawling back into bed. "The spirit was that of his elder sister. She wanted her locket back, but eventually told her brother to keep it, because he wanted to remember her by it."

"I'm glad everything turned out okay," Seishirou said. "Oyasumi, Subaru-kun."

"Oyasumi-nasai, Seishirou-san."

Subaru soon fell asleep; though Seishirou stayed awake a while longer. The older man watched the young Sumeragi as he slept, observing the rise and fall of the teen's chest.

"Subaru-kun. You're such a beautiful toy," Seishirou mused. Though calling Subaru a toy no longer seemed right. Seishirou was a bit disturbed at this fact. Subaru had always been his toy, so why did it seem wrong to call him that now?

Seishirou shook his head and went back to sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come on!" Kamui exclaimed. "We're going to miss the train if we don't hurry!"

"That's what I told you this morning!" Hokuto replied. "You took so long in the shower that we were so off schedule we had to skip our final hike!"

"I'm sorry, Hokuto," Kamui said. "But we need to hurry. Come on, Subaru! Seishirou, hurry up!"

The four of them hurried through the station to reach the train. They managed to get on before the doors closed, but just barely. The doors closed behind them as they made their way to their seats.

Hokuto and Kamui volunteered to get some snacks from the food car, leaving Subaru and Seishirou to put the luggage away. The older man reached up and opened the overhead compartment, putting the bags into the storage compartment as Subaru passed each of the duffel bags to Seishirou. The sixteen-year-old blushed as his hand hit Seishirou's.

"Subaru-kun, do you love me?" the older man asked.

Subaru jumped at the sudden question. Then he blushed as he realized what he had been asked.

"I would say that's a yes," Hokuto said from behind her brother. "Look how red he is!"

"Ho-Hokuto-chaaaannn!!" Subaru exclaimed as he turned from a rose color to bright crimson.

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_::It's about damn time you got back,::_ the Tree said. _::I'm so hungry, it's not even funny.::_

"Well, sorry," Seishirou retorted. "When Hokuto told me she had a surprise, I wasn't expecting to be whisked away to Hokkaido."

_::Just feed me. When are you going to kill that Sumeragi kid? He looks delicious.::_

"At the end of the bet."

_::Oh, yes. Your little bet. Sorry to say it, Seishirou, but you seem to be losing your own bet.::_

"I'm not going to lose. He can't stir emotions in an emotionless soul."

_::Emotionless? Hardly, Seishirou.::_

"You think I'm not?" Seishirou asked.

_::What comes to mind when I say Subaru's name?::_

Visions of the young Sumeragi crossed Seishirou's mind. A particular thought came to him over and over again: kissing Subaru. Seishirou vaguely wondered what the younger man tasted like.

_::See?::_

"That's not fair," Seishirou stated, sounding childish. "Lust isn't an emotion."

_::But it can lead to one.::_

:"Shut up. Or no dinner."

_::Talk about unfairness.::_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So," Kamui said as he got ready for bed, "feel relaxed after that vacation?"

"I guess," Subaru replied. "But I'm sure that Obaa-san has a lot of jobs waiting for me."

Kamui rolled his eyes. They had been back in Tokyo for only a couple of hours and already Subaru was worrying about his job. Hokuto was right. Subaru was a complete work-a-holic. Though, this would probably change. Actually, it would change if Kamui didn't manage to save Subaru's future. If Hokuto were to die, Subaru would still become the angsty young man that he was in 1999. And Kamui cared too much for Subaru to let that happen.

Subaru crawled into bed.

"Are you coming to school with Hokuto-chan and I tomorrow?" Kamui asked.

"If Obaa-san doesn't contact me with a job, I will. My job comes first, Kamui. I can't abandon it for school. What I do is important."

"But don't you want to go to college?" Kamui asked.

"Yeah, I do, but school is still second to my job," Subaru said, turning off the light. "Can you pick up my homework for me if I don't make it to school?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, Kamui. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_((The fight lasted for a long time. Nataku had no intention of letting Karen win; on the Dark Kamui's orders, he was to kill the Seal that came to protect the kekkai. A wall of fire appeared in front of the bioroid, blocking his attack. Karen clutched at the wound in her shoulder._

_The Yamanote Line was an important kekkai. Karen couldn't afford to let it fall. She summoned up a twister of fire and sent it in Nataku's direction. It hit its target with near deadly accuracy. Nataku fell, but not before he sent his ki-powered scarf hurtling towards the Soapland hostess. It wrapped around Karen's ankle and pulled her down onto the tracks.))_

_((Karen let out a cry as she landed, hearing a sickening crack as one of her ribs broke against the metal railing. She turned her head and gasped as the unmanned train raced towards her. She couldn't get up in time to save herself. Her blood splattered across the ground as the train hit her.))_

Kamui woke up in a cold sweat. He hadn't even been there for Karen's death. Why was he seeing her death in his mind? He shivered and wrapped the blankets closer around him.

Every single one of the Seven Seals had died before the Final Battle, taking down most of the Angels with them. Only one other had survived alongside of Fuuma. The Dreamgazer, Kakyou. Kamui thought back to his Dream in which he had met up with Kakyou. He remembered asking the yumemi to keep an eye on Seishirou's dreams, for any hints of weakness. He awaited word from Kakyou.

By now, he was sure that Kakyou would soon come to him with some answers. He just had to wait a little longer until Kakyou could talk to him again.

_Author's Note: Please, please don't kill me if you were mad about Karen's death. It's a necessary thing. I like Karen as much as anyone. She's a really cool character and killing her wasn't fun._


	9. Chapter Eight

_Author's Note: I blame this entire chapter on my cousin, **Kitling**._

Chapter Eight

"Subaru-chan," Hokuto called. "Kamui and I are going to be late coming home from school. The dance ensemble is having practice today."

Subaru looked up from his breakfast. "You joined the dance team?"

Hokuto beamed. "Yup! It's a lot of fun and you get a great exercise! Poor Kamui is the one of the only boys in the class."

Kamui grabbed his jacket and backpack. "You should come watch us some time."

"Sure, I'll try to come after work, if I'm done in time."

Hokuto hugged her younger twin. "Good luck, Subaru."

With that, Hokuto and Kamui headed towards their school. They managed to get through their classes, with Kamui struggling with the statistics exam. After the final bell rang, Kamui ran to meet Hokuto outside of the studio where the dance team practiced. Their instructor smiled at them as they ran in.

"You're just in time," she said. "The student you invited has already arrived, Sumeragi-chan."

Hokuto beamed and waved at Ichigo. The Hawaiian girl waved back. Hokuto had spoken to the Academy chairman about part-time classes for Ichigo and the chairman had agreed. Ichigo now took three classes at CLAMP Academy a day.

"I'm glad you came, Ichigo-chan," Hokuto smiled. "I think you'll enjoy this club."

"I'm sure," Ichigo said.

The instructor got the group's attention. "I have an announcement. One month from now, our club will be performing two dances for the school. One will be a piece from Swan Lake. The other one is up to you."

Immediately, the majority of the members began talking amongst themselves. Hokuto, Kamui, and Ichigo discussed among the three of them.

"How about the Riverdance?"

"No, we should do a traditional dance!"

"I think we should do something similar to the teacher's choice," a younger member suggested.

"How about the Cell Block Tango?" Ichigo suggested.

All the girls stopped talking and looked at Ichigo. After a moment, a few of the smiled and they soon all agreed to it. Kamui was a bit hesitant. He had no clue what the Cell Block Tango was.

The teacher went off into the next room to get a dance sheet for the Cell Block Tango, as well as lyrics for the song. Ichigo was suddenly swamped with the other girls in the club.

"You're a genius, Akiyama-sempai!" the young member from before said.

"That was a great idea!" a blond student smiled.

"I love your hair! How'd you get it so white?"

"Uhh…." Ichigo hesitated.

"What's the Cell Block Tango?" Kamui asked.

"Come over to my place and I'll show you, Kamui-chan," Ichigo replied.

A short murmur swept the dance club.

"Did you hear that? She called Shirou-kun by his first name!"

"She must know him well."

"Do you think they're dating?"

More questions filled the air as the teacher came back.

"Who gets what part?"

"Will Hokuto-chan be designing the costumes?" the blond girl asked.

"_May_ I design the costumes?" Hokuto inquired excitedly.

"One at a time please, class," the instructor said. "We'll figure out the parts in the next couple of days. Sumeragi-chan will be designing the costumes. And I have one other thing to say. I will not be able to attend the recital, so I want all of you to swear that you can show the school that you can do this without my supervision."

"Yes, Sensei!" the club chorused.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next few weeks, Subaru hardly saw Hokuto and Kamui. He spent most of his time either working or in Seishirou's company. However, he did manage to spend a few times helping the dance club with recital. Whenever one of the male members was unable to attend practice, Hokuto shoved Subaru in to take his place. Soon, Subaru had the entire song memorized, as well as every single step in the dance.

The day of the recital came. Subaru remained backstage with the dance club for a while. He took a peek at the audience. Seishirou was sitting in the front row, holding a bouquet of beautiful, blood red chrysanthemums. Presumably, the flowers were for Hokuto. There was an empty seat next to Seishirou, where Subaru guessed he was supposed to sit.

"Thanks again, Subaru-kun, for helping us get things ready," the blonde student said. "Hokuto-chan said you could go sit now."

"Good luck out there, Ranpha-chan," Subaru replied, bowing. "Tell Hokuto and the others good luck for me."

Ranpha gave a nod and went back to the dressing room. Subaru headed offstage and went to sit down with Seishirou. The older man gave a smile.

"Komban wa, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said.

"Komban wa," Subaru replied.

"I'm glad Hokuto-chan invited me to come," Seishirou said. "Of course, I love to spend time with you, Subaru-kun, but it's a rare occasion when Hokuto is doing something exciting like this."

Subaru nodded. "Yes, I suppose it is."

Seishirou looked at Subaru. "You've seen these performances many times, haven't you? I bet you have everything memorized."

"Just the second performance. I never saw the first," Subaru said. "And I've never seen their costumes. Hokuto-chan just finished them tonight."

"I see," Seishirou said.

Five minutes later, the curtain was lifted and the selected scene of Swan Lake was performed. A student by the name of Ajisai Murasaki was cast as Odette, with Kamui as the prince and student Haku Suzume as Odile. The dance was as beautiful as the costumes they wore. When the dance finished, the audience applauded for a long time.

Suddenly, Hokuto ran offstage in her robe. She rushed over to Subaru and threw her arms about his shoulders.

"Oh, Subaru-chan!" she cried. "It's HORRIBLE!!"

"What happened, Hokuto-chan?" Subaru asked.

"Kumo-chan and Kaede-chan haven't gotten here!" Hokuto said. "Kumo is at home sick and Kaede is stuck in traffic!"

"Can't you get replacements?"

"Yes, but you'll need to come with me," she said. She took Subaru's hand and dragged him backstage, leaving Seishirou with a confused look on his face.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We'll have to get the choir to stall for time," Ranpha said. "We're supposed to go on in five minutes! Ishtar-chan, could you go talk to them for us?"

"On it!" the long haired student replied. She ran out and headed for the room where the choir was waiting.

Hokuto rushed in, dragging Subaru behind her. She pushed him into the dressing room. Ranpha, Ichigo, and Kamui looked over as there was a loud squeak.

"I can't wear these!!"

"Subaru, you're the only one who can!"

"B-b-but!!"

"But nothing! Put them on, or I'll put them on you."

Kamui and Ichigo looked at each other. They started laughing and only laughed even harder when Subaru came out in Kaede's costume. Kamui was at the point when he was starting to cry, when Hokuto grabbed him by the wrist and threw him into the dressing room. Moments later, he came out, blushing furiously and wearing Kumo's costume. Ichigo and Ranpha took one look at the two boys and burst into giggles.

Ishtar came back and told Ranpha that the choir had agreed to sing one song to give them time. Then she looked at Kamui and Subaru, who were both so red that they looked like tomatoes with hair. She burst into laughter, which got Ichigo and Ranpha started again. Hokuto looked at Subaru and Kamui, gave them both a quick hug.

"Sorry, guys, but you were the only ones who could fit into Kumo and Kaede's costumes," she said. She handed each of them a few scraps of cloth. "Put these down your shirts. You need to look like girls."

Reluctantly and still blushing furiously, Kamui and Subaru did so. This brought even more laughter to the girls. They stopped laughing just as the choir finished singing. Suzume let the curtain fall and ran up to the microphone at the sidelines. Murasaki ran up to help with the lights and sound. Ishtar, Subaru, Ranpha, Ichigo, Kamui, and Hokuto got in their positions, ready to perform, even though the two boys were still red. A couple of the other students set up the background and jail cell.

_Oh, PLEASE, don't let Seishirou-san recognize me!_ Subaru pleaded, even though he knew that Seishirou probably would.

The music began. Well, to be honest, the first thing that started was a few drops of water, a step or two, and tapping.

"Pop…" Ishtar said.

"S-six…" Subaru added, knowing that he was bright red.

"Squish…" Ranpha.

"Uh, uh…" Ichigo.

"Cicero…" Kamui said.

"Lipschitz…" Hokuto said.

There was a pause. Suzume pulled the microphone close. Murasaki turned the spotlight onto the girl.

"And now," Suzume said, "the CLAMP School Academy presents the six merry murderesses in their rendition of the Cell Block Tango."

Murasaki switched the light off, opened the curtain, and turned on the lights for the stage as the chant continued in the darkness.

"Pop," Ishtar appeared.

"Six," Subaru followed.

In came Ranpha. "Squish."

"Uh-uh," Ichigo said.

"Cicero," Kamui came into the light.

"Lipschitz," Hokuto finished.

In the front row, you could easily see Seishirou's eyes nearly pop out when he saw what Subaru was wearing. In fact, what each dancer was wearing nearly sent half the male audience into shock. But then again, this was CLAMP Academy. You could get away with quite a bit here.

The first girl, Ishtar, wore black leather short shorts, a black leather halter top, knee high black boots, and black mesh opera gloves. Her jade eyes were enhanced by the green eyeshadow she wore and her long black hair was partially tied back. She wore a touch of crimson lipstick.

Subaru wore a black asymmetrical skirt that was high on the right leg and low on the left, a black tube top made entirely out of belts, a black belt garter on his right leg, and ankle boots with knee-high mesh stockings. Of course, he also had on his usual black gloves. He also wore green eyeshadow, but had on shimmering lipgloss.

Ranpha, the blonde girl, wore a black leather mini-skirt, a cropped black leather spaghetti-strap shirt, black thigh-high boots, a pair of black fingerless gloves, and a black choker. She wore pink eyeshadow that brought out her blue eyes and pink lipstick.

Ichigo's outfit consisted of a knee-length black beaded-string skirt, a black leather bra, mid-calf pencil heel boots, a studded collar, and a black armband. Her own gloves were made of mesh and reached halfway to her elbows. Blue eyeshadow enhanced her dark violet eyes.

A cropped black leather tanktop with a belt, black leather shorts, black mesh fingerless opera gloves, knee-high boots, and a chain belt made Kamui's costume. His long bangs almost covered his eyes, but you could see blue eyeshadow despite their best efforts. Like Subaru, Kamui wore shimmering lipgloss.

Finally, Hokuto's costume consisted of a sports-bra made entirely of belts, a black collar, the bottom half of a swimsuit that was made of black leather and a belt, black thigh-high mesh stockings, and black mid-calf boots. Her make-up was a touch of pale pink lipstick and bright pink eyeshadow.

It was rather amazing what you could get away with at CLAMP Academy.

"He had it coming!" the group sang, starting the dance. "He had it coming! He only had himself to blame! If you'd have been there, if you'd have seen it…"

"I'd betcha you would have done the same!" Kamui sang, in a short, one-line solo.

"Pop!"

"Six!"

"Squish!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Cicero!"

"Lipschitz!"

Ishtar walked through the cell door and towards the front of the stage. A young man from backstage walked in. Ishtar began to dance with him. "You know how some people have those little habits that getcha down?" she said. "Like, Darres."

The young man next to Seishirou stiffened.

"Darres liked to chew gum," Ishtar continued. "No, not chew." She frowned. "Pop. So, I come home this one night and I'm really irritated and I'm looking for a little bit of SYMPATHY! And there's Darres, lying on the couch, drinking some wine and chewing."

Ishtar paused. "No, not chewing…POPPING!! So, I said to him, 'you pop that gum one more time…" She sighed. "And he did. So, I took the shot gun off the wall and I fired two warning shots. Into his head."

The man next to Seishirou twitched as Ishtar sharply pulled a red scarf out of the shirt of the young man she was dancing with. A pale-haired man next to the dark-haired one started to silently snicker.

"He had it coming! He had it coming! He only had himself to blame! If you'd have been there, if you'd have heard it, I'd betcha you would have done the same," the six dancers sang.

Subaru walked out; struggling with the high heels he wore. "I met Tsukishirou Kyou down in Osaka about two years ago. He told me he was single and we hit off right away." He leaned against his partner. "So, we started living together. He'd come home, I'd fix him a drink, we'd have dinner. And then I found out …" Subaru slammed the teenage boy he was dancing with to the floor and sat gingerly on his stomach. "Single, he told me. Single my ass. Not only did he have a girl…" here, Subaru spread his legs and leaned towards the boy's face. This made Seishirou twitch quite a bit. "Oh, no…he had six of them." Subaru lifted himself up. "One of those playboys, you know." He leaned back down. "So that night when he got home from work, I fixed him his drink. As usual." Subaru placed his lips on the other boy's and pulled out a scarf. "You know, some guys just can't hold their arsenic."

The girls (and Kamui) sang the chorus. Seishirou tried to stop twitching and calm himself down as Ranpha came out and sang about her captain, Takuto and how he "ran into her knife ten times."

_Subaru-kun **kissed** that boy,_ Seishirou's mind said. _But why do I care? I don't care about anything he does, I'm emotionless._

_::I'm hungry.::_

The music changed into a slow melody and Ichigo stepped out. She began a slow Hawaiian dance with her dance partner and began to sing in an elegant language that nobody in the audience understood. There was a pause.

"Yeah, but did you do it?" Suzume's voice asked.

"Uh-uh," Ichigo shook her head. "Not guilty!"

She pulled the scarf out of her partner's shirt and the lights turned down, casting themselves only on the next dancer. Kamui stepped out with a girl and a guy behind him.

"My sister Yuzuriha and I had this double act together," Kamui said, "and my husband Keiichi would travel around with us. Now for this last number in our act we'd do these twenty acrobatic flips all in a row one, two, three, four, five, splits, spread eagles, back flips, flip flops, one right after the other. So this one night we're down at the hotel Cicero. The three of us, partying, having a few laughs…and we run out of ice, so I go out to get some." The light shone only on Kamui for a moment. "I come back, open the door, and there's Yuzuriha and Keiichi, doing number seventeen: the spread eagle. Well, I was in such a state of shock, I completely passed out, I can't remember a thing." The amethyst-eyed teen opened his hand and two scarves unrolled from them. "It wasn't until later; when I was washing the blood off my hands I even knew they were dead."

The previous chanting of "pop, six, squish, uh-uh, Cicero, Lipschitz" began again as the group danced with Kamui singing "They had it coming, they had it coming! They only had themselves to blame. I didn't do it. But if I'd done it! I betcha you would have done the same!"

The spotlight landed on Hokuto as she and her partner began their dance.

"I loved Al Lipschitz more than I could possibly say. He was a very artistic guy." She held onto her partner's hands as they danced. "Sensitive," Hokuto continued, "a painter. But he was always trying to find himself. He'd go out every night trying to find himself and on the way, he found Cho, Muzai, Tsubaki, and Toya." Hokuto began to pull the reappearing red scarf from her partner's shirt and slowly began putting it around his neck. "You could say we broke up because of artistic differences. He saw himself as alive. And I saw him dead." To emphasize this, she tightened the scarf around the boy's neck. Then she threw the scarf down.

"The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum, bum!" the group sang, with even more dancers coming out from behind stage. "The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum, bum! He had it coming! He had it coming! He only had himself to blame!"

The group's words became blurred. Two different choruses could be heard as they danced.

"They took a flower in its prime! And then they used it! And they abused it! How could you tell us that that we were wrong?! He had it coming! He had it coming! If you'd have been there, if you'd have seen it, I betcha you would have done the same!"

The back group disappeared into the shadows, leaving Ishtar, Subaru, Ranpha, Ichigo, Kamui, and Hokuto to finish the song.

"You pop that gum one more time…"

"Six girls…"

"Ten times…"

Ichigo said a few words in Hawaiian.

"Number seventeen: the Spread Eagle..."

"Artistic differences…"

"Pop," Ishtar said.

"Six," Subaru added.

"Squish."

"Uh-uh."

"Cicero."

"Lipschitz."

The curtain fell and the crowd rose to their feet in a deafening round of applause. Subaru and Kamui rushed to the changing rooms, slammed the doors closed, and came out moments later dressed in their normal clothes, no make-up in sight. Hokuto, Ranpha, Ishtar, and Ichigo cracked up as soon as the boys came out.

"Hey, Hokuto-chan," Ranpha said, "do we get to keep these costumes?"

"Yes, of course, Ranpha-chan," Hokuto replied. "I did make them for you. They wouldn't fit me."

Ranpha hugged Hokuto, then Ichigo, Ishtar, Subaru, and Kamui. Then she grabbed her coat, slipped it on over her costume and left. Ishtar thanked Hokuto, and then ran to meet up with Darres and Duzell, who were waiting for her in the auditorium. Subaru, Kamui, Hokuto, and Ichigo left to meet up with Seishirou. Subaru took one look at Seishirou and turned bright crimson in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you, Seishirou-san," he said. "H-Hokuto-chan wanted me to…help out."

"Yes, I saw," Seishirou smiled. "You did a wonderful job, Subaru-kun. So did the three of you," he added, turning to Hokuto, Ichigo, and Kamui.

"Thank you," Ichigo saild.

Kamui turned as red as Subaru.

"Thanks, Seishirou-chan!" Hokuto beamed. "What did you think of the costumes?"

"I must say that I've never seen Subaru look so beautiful."

At that, Subaru turned even redder than though humanly possible. Ichigo and Hokuto started to laugh hysterically, as Kamui put a sympathetic hand on Subaru's shoulder. Then the five of them left, heading to Seishirou's van."

Kamui never even noticed the familiar face of Magami Tokiko in the departing crowd.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_((Smoke filled the air. Kamui turned the corner and immediately dropped the bag of groceries in his hand. His eyes widened in horror._

_"OKAA-SAN!!!" he cried, running towards the burning house.))_

_(("Kamui," his mother said. "Go to Tokyo. Your destiny is waiting."))_

_(("The Shinken shall be born at this Togakushi Shrine. From a woman's body."))_

_(("You chose you fate as a Ten no Ryu."))_

_(("KOTORI!!"))_

_(("I am the Twin Star, the other Kamui. Born to fill the void when you chose."))_

_(("My name is Sumeragi Subaru."))_

_(("One I loved dearly was killed, by another whom I loved equally."))_

_(("The Shinken will hide here, safe from prying eyes. Until the day Kamui truly needs it."))_

_(("It is down to the two of us. One of us is destined to die this day."))_

_(("I will be the one to kill you. It is out destiny."))_

Kamui's nightmares are filled with the horrors of his own past; the future that he had lived still haunts him. The future that the young Shirou Kamui would face in nine years' time. The future, the predetermined events, all of it would happen. If Kamui could change it, he would. He intends to try. By coming to his day and age, he was already changing part of the future. If he could manage to save the life of his new friend, Sumeragi Hokuto, and get Subaru and Seishirou together, if he could set Kakyou free from the prison of his home, perhaps that future could be changed.

He had a long way to go. And only a few more months to get it all done. The bet would soon be over. And at this point, there was no set winner.

_Author's Note: Did I mention that Kitling is at fault for the Cell Block Tango bit? Okay, okay. I had some part in it as well. But it's mostly her fault._


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Kamui sat in class with a pencil between his nose and upper lip. His math class had just started algebra and already it was looking bad for him. It was the first assignment, the teacher had just explained how to do it, and his paper was still blank after thirty minutes of staring at it with a glazed expression. He wished that Keiichi was there to help him. The taller boy had always been good at helping him out. But even if Kamui were to find him, Keiichi would be seven years old and have no knowledge of algebra.

The bell rang and Kamui headed out for lunch. He was supposed to meet Hokuto and Ichigo for lunch, but today, he didn't feel like it. Instead, he headed to a small area away from the co-op, where a tree grew beautifully and tall. It was the same tree that Monou Kotori would be buried beneath in nine years. He started climbing and shortly found a branch to rest on. Closing his eyes, he remembered the times he had spent with Fuuma and Kotori before he moved away to Okinawa with his mother. Those times were probably happening to his younger self at this moment.

Kamui hadn't been resting for five minutes before a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Hey, what are you doing up there?"

Kamui looked down. The blond teen below looked back at him. Something was familiar about this boy. Blond hair, blue eyes…a blue haired boy chasing him, yelling something about paperwork; must be Imonoyama Nokoru. Kamui nearly started laughing.

"Uh, oh," the younger Nokoru said, looking back. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Kamui replied, grinning.

Nokoru quickly climbed the tree. Takamura Suoh was still a bit far off, so Kamui didn't suspect that he had seen. The blond boy sat on the branch next to Kamui and smiled.

"I don't think I've seen you around before," he said.

"I'm still pretty new," Kamui shrugged.

"Well, then. Welcome to CLAMP Academy. I'm Nokoru."

"NOKORU!!!" Suoh shouted from below.

Nokoru and Kamui looked down. Suoh stood at the foot the tree, glaring up at Nokoru. The blond boy sweatdropped.

"Ah… hi, Suoh," Nokoru stammered. "I was just talking to…"

"You don't have time to talk. I need that paperwork done now."

"But can't I just…"

"No."

"But!"

"Now. Nokoru."

Nokoru hung his head. He turned to Kamui. "I guess I'll see you later…"

"Kamui."

"Okay, then. Later, Kamui."

With that, Nokoru climbed down the tree and left with Suoh. The two of them headed back towards the school as Kamui watched. Once they were out of sight, Kamui jumped down from his branch and walked off as the bell rang.

* * *

Sixth period went quick enough. When the bell rang, Kamui left the classroom, only to be tackled from behind by Hokuto.

"How _dare_ you skip lunch!" she exclaimed. "You _know_ that's not healthy and you need to eat!"

"I'm s-sorry," Kamui choked. "I wasn't hungry."

"You _will_ eat something when you get home, Kamui-chan."

Kamui saluted as best he could with Hokuto sitting on his back. Hokuto climbed off of the violet-eyed boy and helped him up.

"So, did you get that flyer from Iyujin-kun?" she asked.

"No…" Kamui replied, blinking in confusion.

Hokuto sighed and pulled out a bright yellow flyer. She handed it to Kamui and the two of them walked off as he read.

"A field trip to Kyoto?"

"Yup! And everything is possible because of the profit the recital made!"

Kamui groaned at the reminder. He never wanted to be put in drag again. Koame Kumo's costume had been very uncomfortable, despite the fact that Hokuto had made it in a boy-ish fashion for the boy-ish Kumo. And when the younger student had heard about the recital, she had cracked up. Besides, someone on the dance team had videotaped the recital, so on the day the instructor had returned, the class had watched it. Kamui had stuttered and turned red when the instructor looked at him after the tape was over.

"So, you wanna go?" Hokuto asked, pulling Kamui out of his thoughts. "We can go anywhere in Kyoto as long as we're in groups. We should ask Ichigo if she can make it."

"Yeah," Kamui agreed. "I think Ichigo deserves to visit Kyoto with us."

"And they hired a new guy at the bakery, so she has more free time now. I'm sure her mother wouldn't mind letting Ichigo come with us."

"She's over there, why don't we go ask her?" Kamui said.

The two of them ran over to where Ichigo waited for the bus the three of them rode. The taller girl was looking at a bright yellow flyer, which had to be the Kyoto field trip flyer. She turned her head when she heard Hokuto call her name.

"Hi, Hokuto! Hello, Kamui!" Ichigo smiled. "You guys going on the field trip?"

"Yup!" Hokuto beamed. "What about you?"

"I think I can make it," Ichigo said, as the bus arrived. She and the others got on. "Hitake is doing a good job at the bakery, so my mom said I can have some extra time off."

"That's great!" Hokuto said.

"Yeah! Hey, did you hear who the chaperones are going to be?" Ichigo asked.

"No, I just got handed a flyer."

"Iyujin-kun told me who they were. There are three: his mothers and one of their friends, Magami Tokiko."

Kamui started. "Magami Tokiko? She's going to be chaperoning?"

Ichigo and Hokuto looked at him.

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Magami Tokiko is my aunt."

Hokuto blinked. "Oh, no. We can't let her know that you're here. She'll probably know, wouldn't she?"

"She's of the Magami Clan. She can probably sense that I'm of the same bloodline. And since the only ones left of the clan are her, my mother and me, she'll probably be curious to know why there's a fourth."

"Well," Hokuto said. "We can try to avoid letting her know that you're Shirou Kamui."

"And how?"

"We could dress you up as a girl again," Ichigo smiled.

"No!"

Ichigo laughed. "I was joking."

They reached their stop and soon the three of them were settled into Hokuto's apartment, studying, chatting, and plotting. There was a knock outside in the hall and Hokuto got up to see what was going on. To her surprise, it was a young delivery boy with short burgundy hair, long bangs covering his eyes.

"No one's home," Hokuto told him.

The boy turned and looked at her quizzically.

"My brother is at work and his roommate is in here," Hokuto explained. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, I was told to deliver these to a Shirou Kamui," the teen said, holding up a bouquet of pure white roses. "Could you give these to him?"

"Sure," Hokuto said, slightly confused.

"Have a nice day," the delivery boy said, bowing.

Hokuto nodded and went back inside. Ichigo and Kamui looked up.

"Who are those for?" Ichigo asked.

"They're for Kamui," Hokuto said, handing the bouquet to the amethyst-eyed teen, who immediately picked up the card hidden in the flowers.

"So, who are they from?" Ichigo asked.

Kamui turned pale. "I…I think they're from…Tokiko."

The note in Kamui's hand fell; Hokuto and Ichigo looked at it. It merely said "Great job at the recital, Shirou Kamui."

"What makes you think that Tokiko sent them?" Hokuto said. "It could be from any number of the girls on the dance team. Ishtar-chan could have been the one who sent them for all we know."

"But don't you think that they would sign it?" Ichigo asked.

"No, I don't think it's from the girls," Kamui gulped. "I'm pretty sure it's from Tokiko."

"So, you aunt saw you at the recital?" Ichigo asked. "Then we probably won't have to worry about her saying anything during the field trip."

"I guess," Kamui said.

He set the roses in a vase and went to sit with his friend. They chatted about the trip for a while. Hokuto offered to find out if the three of them could visit the Sumeragi main house. Their conversation ran until the time when there was a knock at the door. Kamui got up and found Subaru standing at the door.

"Hi," Subaru said, sleepily. "Tell Hokuto-chan that I'm home and am going to bed, okay?"

"Sure," Kamui said. "I'll probably wake you up for dinner."

"Uh-huh," Subaru agreed with a yawn. "See you then."

* * *

The days passed. Before they knew it, the day of the filed trip came. The groups would be leaving during lunch, catching the CLAMP Academy shuttles to Kyoto. Ichigo had spent the night at Hokuto's the day before, and now she, Hokuto, Subaru, and Kamui were in a panic to finish getting ready. Subaru suddenly stopped packing and looked over to the fax machine in the kitchen.

"Oh, no!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Kamui asked.

"I think I might have job to do," Subaru said, walking across the apartment to the fax machine. "And I was looking forward to this trip too."

He picked up the fax, read it over, and gave a big sigh. He set the paper down and went back over to his bag to start unpacking.

"Looks like their having supernatural problems at the Yasukuni Shrine," Subaru said. "I have to go over there and find out what's going on."

Kamui noted the disappointment in the other teen's eyes. He went over to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll be sure to bring you something," Kamui said. "But for now, you'd better go tell Hokuto-chan that you won't be able to go on the trip."

Subaru nodded and left the room to head to his sister's apartment next door. Kamui finished packing his stuff and headed out into the hall after putting his shoes on. He nearly bumped into a beet-red Subaru in the hall.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"H-Hokuo-chan's calling…S-S-Seishirou-san to arrange it so that I can stay with him while you guys are gone."

"Well, she wants to make sure you're going to be okay. All of us know that you hardly eat after a job, much less any other time," Kamui said. "Seishirou will make sure that you take care of yourself."

Subaru nodded, turning an even brighter shade of red. "Y-yeah, I know."

"So, when do you have to be at the job?" Kamui asked.

"Not for another couple of hours. I suppose I should repack everything and get my stuff to Seishirou-san's."

Kamui nodded. "Have fun."

_And I hope you don't find out too early what Seishirou really does,_ he added silently.

Hokuto came out of her apartment. "Seishirou-chan said he'd be glad to let you stay, Subaru-chan!"  
She hugged her brother. "I hope you haven't unpacked yet. You'll have to take everything to his place. He'll pick you up from school at noon, and take you to Yasukuni Shrine."

"Yeah."

"Good luck with your job. And dress warmly. It's supposed to rain this afternoon."

Subaru nodded. The four teens left the apartment complex to wait for the bus to CLAMP Academy. When they arrived at the school, Subaru headed to class as Hokuto, Kamui, and Ichigo headed to the co-op where the field-trippers would wait until the shuttles arrived. Hokuto and Kamui once again promised to bring Subaru something from the trip, as well as something for Seishirou.

* * *

Later that night, Subaru waited for Seishirou. It was raining, and had been for the last few hours. It had taken Subaru a couple hours to get the job done, and of course, it had been outside in the rain. He was now thoroughly soaked, cold, and extremely tired. He pulled his only layer of clothing that wasn't soaked close to his body to try to get warmer. Headlights flashing in his eyes made him look up to see Seishirou's van drive up.

The young onmyouji hurried over to get into the car. He stammered an apology for his soaked clothes through chattering teeth. Before he could buckle his seat belt, Seishirou took off his jacket and handed it to the younger man. Subaru thanked Seishirou and pulled it on. He fell asleep on the way to Seishirou's apartment, but the older man woke him when they got there.

As soon as they got inside, Seishirou had Subaru sit on the couch. He got a blanket and a cup of hot tea for the young onmyouji and then took his temperature. He informed Subaru that he had a fever. Subaru nodded weakly and drank his tea. When he was finished, he curled up on the couch and went to sleep as Seishirou cooked dinner.

* * *

It was the second day of the field trip. Hokuto and Ichigo had been snapping pictures for most of the trip and needed more film. They dragged Kamui to the nearest mall to get film and to play with Kamui's wardrobe some more. Kamui tried to protest, but ended up in the dressing room with an armful of various clothes to try one, while the girls waited outside the door with some more clothes.

Hokuto leaned over to Ichigo. She whispered something into the other girl's ear and the two of them giggled. The older girl pulled out her camera and lay on the ground to snap a couple photos of Kamui. She managed to get two before Kamui caught her. The first was of Kamui with no shirt on and the second was of him just beginning to pull his pants off. The girls shrieked with laughter.

* * *

Meanwhile, Subaru had not yet recovered completely from his fever. He was currently in the shower, the hot water pummeling his body, massaging it the way only rushing water could. He reached to get the shampoo, but it slipped out of his hands and landing on the shower floor with a thud.

In the living room, Seishirou had been reading a book as the Sumeragi was showering. He heard the thud and worried for a slight moment before he remembered that, as the Sakurazukamori, he didn't worry about other people. However, since he was unconsciously losing the bet between the two of them, he went over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Are you okay in there?" he asked.

Subaru didn't answer. Worried that the Sumeragi had fainted (wait, the Sakurazukamori doesn't worry), he opened the door to check on the younger man. He froze in his tracks. The shower stall had fogged up, but he could clearly see a perfect silhouette of Subaru's body. He turned and left as quickly as he could, hoping that Subaru hadn't seen him barge in.

Needless to say, he found it rather unnerving when he realized that his face was flushed.

* * *

The next morning, Seishirou woke to find Subaru already up, dressed, and in the kitchen. The younger man was engrossed in his task of cooking breakfast and didn't notice Seishirou staring at him with a glazed expression.

What Subaru was dressed in had taken Seishirou completely aback. It was an outfit that consisted of tight leather pants, a mesh t-shirt, and emerald green vest and his usual gloves. A collar with a tag was around Subaru's neck. Subaru turned and Seishirou saw that the tag distinctly read "Property of Seishirou-san."

Subaru turned bright red as he realized what he was wearing and that Seishirou was staring.

_What the?! _Seishirou thought. _Oh, God, that dream's coming true! But HOW?!  
_

Somewhere, a certain golden-haired yumemi was laughing his ass off in his Dreamscape.

_(Author's Note: If you don't recall, I had Seishirou have a dream with Subaru in that outfit. Kamui was having Kakyou watch Seishirou's dreams for hints that the Sakurazukamori was weakening. Kakyou saw that outfit and planted it in Hokuto's dreams. That's the explanation for that.)_

* * *

Kamui grimaced in his sleep. He didn't want to see this. The deaths of two of his friends were haunting his dreams, but he couldn't open his eyes. It was as if something was keeping him from waking up.

_((Arashi screamed as Fuuma shoved the Shinken through Sorata's chest. The young Kansai monk fell when the sword's blade was removed from where it had pierced his body. The Ise priestess ran to Sorata's side._

"_Don't worry…babe..." Sorata said, weakly. "I told you…you were the one…"_

"_Don't talk," Arashi whispered through her tears. "You're going to live, Sorata."))_

Kamui clutched the blankets close.

_(("The Stargazer's never…wrong. You are the…one I chose," Sorata said. "The one…I love…and give my life for…"_

_Arashi's tears fell faster as the Kansai monk breathed his last. Sadness turned to anger and she stood to face the Dark Kamui. She called her sword and tried to attack. Fuuma merely grabbed her wrist and yanked her sword away. Arashi's eyes widened as her own sword pierced her heart.))_

Kamui finally opened his eyes. Why were his dreams filled with the horrors of his past and his younger self's future? It was so hard for him to live through it the first time and now he was reliving it every night. He didn't know if he could take it anymore. The pain of the memories were almost too much to bear.

Soon, he hoped, the nightmares would end and he could finally get back to having dreamless nights, like he had before the whole deal with the year 1999.

_

* * *

_

_Author's Note: Oi. Finally finished this. Fun, fun, fun. Thanks to all who reviewed. I can't thank you all individually this time, but I will next time. Promise!_

_And now, an omake!!_

Seishirou looked up as he heard a thunk, followed by a bang and a loud crash. A young man who was waiting in the clinic to have his cat checked looked up as well.

"I didn't know you had a pet of your own, Sakurazuka-sensei," the young man said.

"Oh, I do," Seishirou said, vowing to check on Subaru and then duct tape the boy to the bed, "it just usually behaves better than this."

Subaru danced around the apartment, dressed only in a pair of boxers. A plunger was stuck to his head and he was tossing a roll of toilet paper around the living room.

"I AM THE SUGAR PLUMBER FAERIE!!" he exclaimed, carelessly tossing the roll of toilet paper towards the door. It missed and knocked down a couple of books from the shelf next to the door.

The door opened and Seishirou stepped inside. He blinked at the sight of the young Sumeragi.

"Err…Subaru-kun?" he asked, bewildered.

Subaru giggled like mad. Seishirou came to the conclusion that the boy was delirious from his fever and that once he was better, this would never be spoken of again. He went over the boy and put his hand to Subaru's forehead. He quickly used a spell to put the Sumeragi to sleep and then set him on the couch after getting rid of the plunger.

He shook his head and went back down to work.

_I didn't see Subaru just lose his mind,_ he told himself fervently. _I didn't._


	11. Chapter Ten

_Author's Note: Twister and UST do not mix._

Chapter Ten

Subaru sat on the couch in Seishirou's apartment. A small tawny rabbit, a lop-ear, sat in his lap, munching on the lettuce that the young Sumeragi was offering. Subaru had a soft smile on his face as he ran his hand along the rabbit's back.

Seishirou pulled on his normal white coat and looked at Subaru. A strange feeling in his gut made him go get a bowl of miso for Subaru and leave to get back to work. He didn't understand what was going on. The strange feeling was getting worse; every time he looked at Subaru, it got stronger.

It clicked. He was losing his bet. He was beginning to love Subaru. No longer was it just an act, but a reality. And it made Seishirou distinctly uncomfortable.

* * *

It was the last day of the field trip. Kamui, Ichigo, and Hokuto were at the mall of Kyoto once again. The outfits they wore made them stick out even more than usual. Ichigo wore a long-sleeved mesh shirt, under a small, but loose black t-shirt that exclaimed "Help Natural Selection: Eliminate Warning Labels!" Her black jeans were loose, tattered, and torn. She wore steel-toed boots that had a line of duct-tape on the back. A pentagram hung from her neck, as well as a sword-shaped pendant and a studded collar. A chain hung around her waist, clinking as she walked.

Hokuto's outfit was a mix of maid and cat-girl features. Her petticoated skirt was black, made of silk, and featured a silver pentacle belt. The top of the outfit was similar to the skirt and had puffed sleeves. Her black gloves reached to her elbows and were fingerless. She wore fishnet stocking and knee-high leather high-heeled boots that had more zippers on them than leather, Cat ears and tail topped off the ensemble.

Kamui's outfit differented from the theme the girls had going. Though it still had a few gothic touches, it wasn't as obvious. He wore black leather pants that looked as though they had been painted on. A long sleeved, violet silk shirt under a white sleeveless trenchcoat gave the outfit and elegant look, but the thin bat wings on the back of the jacket added and definite gothic air.

As the three of them walked through the mall, a young woman came up to them. Her waist long black hair was streaked with bright scarlet and her eyes were an aqua-blue so deep, that they couldn't be natural. Silver rings on her ears, a bunch of bangle bracelets on both wrists and a necklace that sported a complicated Celtic knot made of her jewelry.

"Excuse me," she said. "I love those outfits! I have to know the genius behind them!"

"That's me," Hokuto said. "Though Ichigo-chan does her own."

"Mm-hmm," the woman said, circling Kamui. "I love the wings. Adds an almost vampiric look."

Now, Ichigo, this whole time, had been watching the woman closely, wondering why she looked familiar. It suddenly clicked. She gasped.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "You're Kumayama Machiko, the main designer of Umiryu Ltd!"

The woman laughed. "I'm surprised you knew that. I just got that position barely six months ago."

"I do my research," Ichigo smiled.

"You must," Machiko said. She turned to Hokuto. "I absolutely love your creations. I must know your name."

"I'm Sumeragi Hokuto."

"Hokuto. North Star. Catchy," Machiko said. "Is this a relative of yours?"

"Nope. He's a friend."

"Nice looking boy," Machiko said, looking Kamui over once more. "What's your name?"

"Shirou Kamui."

"Is he your model?"

"Of sorts," Hokuto replied. "I use my brother, too."

"You have a brother?" Machiko asked, interested.

"A twin."

"That's it," Machiko said. "We need to get together for a few photoshoots. Let's go get some coffee. My treat."

The four of them went over to a close by coffee shop. Within an hour, Hokuto, Ichigo, and Machiko had planned to have a photoshoot, starring the two teenage boys.

* * *

Two weeks later, Seishirou sat on the couch in his living room He had just gotten out of the shower and was sitting in his robe, smoking a cigarette and reading a book as he dried.

Suddenly, the door opened and a teenage girl with short, dark blue hair stormed in. She was wearing a simple outfit of loose beige jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt covered by a red t-shirt that said "It's all fun and game until someone loses an eye." She held a rolled up magazine in one hand.

The girl stormed up to him. Before Seishirou could say anything, the girl smacked him across the face with the magazine, then grabbed the front of his robe.

"Get over yourself, dipshit!" she yelled at him. "You're going to lose him at this rate! To KAMUI of ALL people!"

She opened the magazine and showed him a picture that covered two full pages. Seishirou stared at the image of Subaru and Kamui. Kamui had his arms around a blushing Subaru's shoulders from behind. The amethyst-eyed teen had his lips on Subaru's cheeks. They were at a pool, with Ichigo lounging on a water mattress. Neither Kamui nor Subaru were wearing much; just new designer swimming shorts.

Seishirou looked up to find the girl gone.

He opened his eyes. He looked around. Apparently, Seishirou had fallen asleep after putting out his cigarette. There was no sign that he had received a visitor. At least until he found a magazine in his lap. It was open to the photo the girl had shown him. He turned the page to find another photo of Subaru and Kamui. The two teens were curled up together on a lounge chair. They were wearing different swimming shorts and there was a pentacle around Subaru's neck, though the pentacle was being held in Kamui's mouth.

"No. No, no, no, and no," Seishirou muttered. "Subaru-kun belongs to me."

The phone rang. Seishirou briefly wondered who would be calling at this hour, before he caught sight of the clock and realized that it was ten fifteen in the morning. Thank goodness it was Sunday and he didn't have to go into the clinic. Seishirou got up and went over to the phone to answer.

"Sakurazuka desu."

"Ohaiyo, Sei-chan!" Hokuto's voice greeted.

"Hello, Hokuto-chan."

"Are you busy today?" the Sumeragi girl asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Good! We're going to celebrate the contracts Ichigo and I got from Umiryu Ltd."

"Umiryu Ltd?" Seishirou asked.

"Yup! A famous fashion line! Ichigo and I are apprentice designers with Kumayama Machiko!"

Confused, but happy for Hokuto, Seishirou congratulated her. The elder Sumeragi twin gave Seishirou the details of the celebrations: One o'clock, at her apartment, food courtesy of her and Ichigo, games provided and a promise of Subaru-teasing.

Seishirou promised he'd be there.

_

* * *

How the hell did I get talked into this? Seishirou wondered._

"Right hand red," Ichigo said.

Seishirou and Hokuto both reached over to put their right hands on a red circle. It was their third round. Seishirou had won the first round; Hokuto got the victory in the second. It came down to this.

"Just why aren't you playing, Ichigo-san?" Subaru asked.

"Because I could beat all three of you with my eyes closed," the Hawaiian girl said, spinning the spinner. "Left foot yellow."

Subaru blinked at Ichigo as Hokuto slipped. Ichigo sighed. She set down the spinner and stood up.

"Allow me to demonstrate," she said.

She then proceeded to fall to her knees, bend completely backwards and grab her ankles, bending her spine into a nearly perfect "o." Then she rose back up as Kamui, Subaru, and Seishirou stared at her.

"Extreme flexibility runs in my family," Ichigo explained, stretching. "Okay. Next is Kamui versus Subaru. And Seishirou-san, put out that cigarette or I'll be forced to shove it up your nose."

Kamui and Subaru got ready to start. Ichigo spun and commanded "right foot blue."

A few moves into the round, Kamui slipped and landed on top of Subaru. Seishirou seethed as Kamui propped himself up and looked down at Subaru,

"I'm sorry," he said. "Are you okay, Su-chan?"

Subaru blushed and muttered that he was fine as Seishirou twitched. Hokuto leaned over to Ichigo and asked softly if the older girl had any clue what Kamui was up to. Ichigo smiled.

"Perfecting the art of making Seishirou jealous as hell," she replied.

Hokuto giggled, then bounded over to the kitchen to pour a few glasses of iced milk tea. Ichigo called out "left hand green" to start off round two. As the round progressed, Kamui made it clear that he was making moves on the other teen. At one point, his hand reached over and ran along Subaru's thigh as he reached for a blue circle. At another point, Subaru found Kamui's lips brushing against his collarbone. By the time Kamui lost round two, Seishirou was practically foaming at the mouth. He excused himself and went out into the hall to have a cigarette. The man twitched when the sound of Subaru squeaking reached his ears through the door.

A few minutes passed and the door opened. Hokuto stepped out.

"It's your turn again," she told him. "Kamui lost, so it's you versus Subaru-chan."

Seishirou smiled, though he was quite uneasy with this concept. "Up close and personal with my future husband."

Hokuto grinned. "Yup! Have fun!"

Seishirou nodded, despite the growing uncomfortable feeling in his gut. Twister was not the best game to play when you had unresolved sexual tension, especially when it was him versus his prey, the source of the tension. He almost wanted to refuse to play this round, but it would make the four teens suspicious, after everything they had seen and gone through.

Now that he thought of it, it seemed as if Ichigo, Hokuto, and Kamui had planned for this final round of Twister. Knowing the three of them, it was a distinct possibility. But if that was the case, why had Kamui been making moves on Subaru? Was he purposefully trying to piss him off?

Walking past Kamui, Seishirou decided that the amethyst-eyes teen was a little bastard.

The round began with "left foot blue." Not so bad. But as the game progressed, Seishirou found himself being pressed closer and closer to Subaru. The young Sumeragi was bright red already and they had just begun not even five moves ago. At the command of "left hand green," Seishirou's lips brushed against those of the younger man. Subaru squeaked and squirmed, making Seishirou lose his balance and fall on top of the Sumeragi, their lips coming together once more.

_This...is not good…_ Seishirou told himself.

Despite this thought, being this close to the younger man, tasting his lips, and having Subaru pinned beneath him, all in all, felt really good. And so…right that it felt a shame that he couldn't let it happen. He sat up, releasing Subaru, who immediately jumped up and apologized. The red-faced younger man left the room in a hurry. Hokuto went off after him.

Seishirou saw Ichigo and Kamui smile to each other. He turned to them with a questioning gaze. The two teens just started laughing.

_

* * *

((Kamui and Yuzuriha had been out together after school. The younger teen had told Kamui that he needed to loosen up, that feeling sad over Subaru's disappearance couldn't be good for him. It wasn't as if the older Seal was gone forever._

_Yuzuriha had taken Kamui over to an ice cream parlor in a part of the city that hadn't been destroyed yet. Everything was quiet; nobody seemed particularly worried about any earthquakes or anything. It was a sunny day, there was a light breeze, and the ice cream was a fresh batch made in the back of the shop.))_

Kamui rolled over in his sleep. He remembered.

_((Yuzuriha and Kamui sat outside the parlor, licking at the cones in their hands. Yuzuriha had chosen peppermint and Kamui had stuck to vanilla, though Yuzuriha insisted that he get his cone dipped in chocolate sauce. Inuki was sitting on the back of Yuzuriha's chair.))_

_((Suddenly, a rumble echoed across that part of Tokyo. The ground began to shake. Yuzuriha and Kamui leapt up in alarm. One of the Seven Angels was close by and causing havoc. The two Seals jumped up to the top of a nearby building and began searching for the perpetrator. Cables shot towards them out of seemingly nowhere.))_

_(("It's her again!" Yuzuriha cried. "The girl who destroyed Shinjuku!"))_

Yatouji Satsuki. Kamui had later found out that was the girl's name. He wasn't sure on just how he had found out. Perhaps Fuuma had mentioned it at one of the random molestation sessions he was so fond of giving.

_((The three Dragons fought after Yuzuriha managed to set up her kekkai. It wasn't long before someone entered the barrier. It wasn't one of the Seals, but then again, it wasn't Fuuma either. It was Shiyuu Kusanagi, one of the Seven Angels. Yuzuriha smiled._

_"He'll help us, Kamui-san," she said.))_

_((It was true. Kusanagi did help, but in the end, it meant nothing. Satsuki attacked Kamui, with deadly intent. Yuzuriha shoved Kamui out of the way then cried out in pain and cables ripped through her body.))_

_(("YUZURIHA!!" Kamui screamed.))_

_((Kusanagi had also been hurt by the young girl's death. He grabbed a fallen pole and slammed it into the screen that Satsuki watched them through. The impact sent a surge of electricity through both Satsuki and Kusanagi, killing them both. Stray cables wrapped around Kusanagi's body and ripped him to pieces before falling limp to the ground.))_

Kamui woke up and bolted upright. He was getting really annoyed with the dreams that haunted him. The deaths of all the people close to him hit home every time he remembered them. It was enough to drive him up the wall.

_I don't want to remember anymore,_ he told himself. _I have to forget. I need to get through this._

It felt almost impossible to get past. His past would always haunt him, but this was too much.

* * *

_Okay, I'm going to quit writing here. Good and bad news people. This is the third to the last chapter for To Rewrite Destiny. Soon, this will all be over. And I'm promising at least a lime at this point. I may change it to a lemon, but I'm not sure just yet._

_As for those of you who have reviewed. Alas, I have lost track of all of you, but THANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys are the best!_


	12. Chapter Eleven

_Author's Note: Sorry for the extremely late update. I've been under a lot of stress lately, but I finally managed to write this. To those of you who know about my current predicament concerning my boyfriend, thanks for your support. You guys are awesome._

_This is the second to the last chapter I am going to write for **To Rewrite Destiny**__Thanks to those who have been there since the beginning, for putting up with the insanity, the torture, and my laziness._

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Kamui sat at one of the tables in the bakery. He and Ichigo were plotting the next attempt to get Seishirou to fall in love with Subaru. It was hard without Hokuto, but the elder Sumeragi twin had taken Subaru to the doctor to see about his symptoms. Subaru seemed to have gotten another cold, but his cough was worsening everyday. Hokuto had sent Kamui over to Ichigo's to plan.

"Well," Kamui said, "what do you think?"

"I dunno," the older teen replied. "I'm thinking that it shouldn't be too extravagant. None of us really want to spend too much money on this. And we don't have that much time left, do we?"

"I don't think so," Kamui replied. "Kakyou, he was the Dreamgazer I told you about, came to me last night and told me that Seishirou's dreams revealed that the bet is going to end soon."

"And what about how Seishirou feels?" Ichigo asked.

Kamui shook his head. "Nothing. Kakyou said that it's hard to interpret the Sakurazukamori's dreams. Considering how few he seems to have."

"Man," Ichigo sighed. "This is a lot harder than we thought it would be."

"So, what are you two planning?" Ichigo's mother asked, coming out of the kitchen.

Ichigo roughly explained the situation and handed the notebook where they kept their ideas to her mother. The woman looked it over, then handed it back.

"If you're going to lock them into a room together, you have to supply them with handcuffs," she said. "Perhaps whipped cream or chocolate sauce as well."

Kamui blinked. Ichigo smiled.

"Thanks, Mom!" she said, jotting her mother's suggestions down.

"Not a problem!" her mother replied, heading back into the kitchen.

"So, do you get your ideas from your mother?" Kamui asked.

"You know," Ichigo replied, "I think she gets _her_ ideas from_ me._"

Kamui laughed.

* * *

Subaru was sitting on a bench, waiting for Hokuto to return with his medicine. He coughed, and then noticed a movement in the corner of his eyes. He turned to see a young boy sitting next to him. The boy looked at him and smiled. Subaru returned his smile.

"Are you here by yourself?" Subaru asked politely.

"Yeah," the boy replied, "but my kaa-san is coming to pick me up later."

The boy looked at Subaru. "Do you have a cold Onii-chan?"

"Yes, but the doctor gave me a shot, so I'm better now," Subaru replied. "Do you have a cold, too?"

"No. I'm supposed to go to that room over there." The boy pointed down a hall. "But it's not my turn yet, so I'm waiting here."

A nurse came over. "Yuya-kun, please come here."

"Coming!" the boy replied. He stood up and turned to Subaru. "Are you going to come back?"

"Yes," Subaru said. "I'm coming back the day after tomorrow to pick up my medicine."

"The day after tomorrow? That's great! I'm here every other day, so come visit me!"

The nurse hurried Yuya along.

"See you later, Onii-chan!" Yuya called, waving good-bye to the young Sumeragi.

Subaru waved back.

"Oh, hohoho!" Hokuto's laughter rang through the hall. "I've brought you your medicine, Subaru-chan! And a chauffeur!"

Subaru looked over to see a smiling Seishirou. "Seishirou-san!"

"Hello, Subaru-kun! How are you?"

"I'm doing better," Subaru replied. "But, how did you know I was here."

"I got a voice mail when I got back from my house calls," Seishirou replied, still smiling.

Hokuto had a cat-like grin on her face. "Yup! I said, quote: Your lover-boy, Subaru-kun, has come down with a nasty cold and is at Shinjuku General Hospital, so you should come and pick him up!"

Subaru quickly apologized for having caused Seishirou trouble. Of course, Seishirou denied that it was any trouble at all. Hokuto began her usual teasing:

"You're scoring big points this time, Sei-chan!" she said.

"No effort is too much for Sakurazuka Seishirou!" the vet replied, determinedly.

Subaru turned beet red.

* * *

Later that evening, Subaru was resting in bed. Kamui was in the kitchen starting dinner, while Hokuto and Seishirou sat in the living room, talking. Kamui listened carefully to what they were saying.

"I've always been scared that one day his heart will just break and he'll die," Hokuto said.

The next bit she said was a bit quiet, so Kamui didn't quite catch it. A few moments later, Hokuto's voice grew a bit louder.

"However, if he did find someone that was special," she said, "and if that person were to betray him, Subaru would surely die."

_Oh, don't tell him that! _Kamui thought. _That's just what he needs: a hint!_

"Well, it seems to me," Seishirou said, "that you're quite kind after all, Hokuto-chan."

Hokuto laughed. "Well, as thanks for your praise, I'm going to make you my specialty, royal milk tea! And I'll make some for Subaru!"

Hokuto came in. She went about her business as Kamui continued to listen to Seishirou.

"'Kindness' and a 'pure heart'," Kamui heard Seishirou say. He muttered something, then his voice got just loud enough to hear: "It seems that we must have our bet called in soon, Subaru-kun."

"I knew it," Kamui whispered.

"What?" Hokuto asked, turning.

"The bet's almost over," Kamui replied, in a low voice so that Seishirou didn't overhear.

"Oh, drat," Hokuto frowned. "I wonder how much time we have left."

"And whether we've managed to save you and Subaru," Kamui added.

Hokuto nodded, and then got back to making the tea, so that Seishirou didn't get suspicious of what they were doing. Kamui added some ingredients to the miso he was making.

_

* * *

((The golden eyed yumemi sat in the corner of the dreamscape. Kamui walked over to him._

_"Konban wa, Kakyou-san," he greeted._

_"Konban wa, Kamui-san," Kakyou replied. "I have some news."_

_"Oh?" Kamui asked, raising an eyebrow._

_The yumemi nodded. "Things are changing. I no longer see so much blood in the future, aside from the Final Battle."_

_"You can see that far?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Of course," Kamui said. "So, we're making progress?"_

_"A little. But you don't have a lot of time left. The bet will conclude within the week."_

_"A w-week!" Kamui choked. "How can we get Seishirou to fall in love with Subaru in only a week!"_

_Kakyou shrugged, a casual movement that seemed outside the realm of normalcy for the young man. "Whatever you must. Sorry that I can't be of much help."_

_"Are you kidding? You've been a lot of help."_

_Kakyou nodded. _

_A moment of silence passed over the two young men. Kamui stared at the ground, while Kakyou seemed intent on staring at the ripples the covered the floor of the dreamscape._

_"I've…met Hokuto-san."_

_Kamui looked up. "You have?"_

_"It was inevitable that she and I would meet," Kakyou said._

_"What do you think of her?"_

_The faintest of blushes colored Kakyou's pale face. "She's…interesting."_

_Kamui snerked. "You like her."_

_The yumemi's face turned a brighter color. "I-I didn't…"_

_"It's okay, Kakyou," Kamui said. "It's inevitable that you would like her."))_

* * *

"Okay, so we put this plan into action today, right?" Kamui asked.

"Yup!" Ichigo smiled. "Ice cream gets to a guy every time! You got everything?"

"Let's see," Kamui said. "Ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a can of cherries…yup, that's everything."

"Great!" the Hawaiian girl said. "We'll go to the hospital to meet up with Hokuto and Seishirou, pick up Subaru, come back and have sundaes. There's no way that Seishirou will be able to resist trying to jump Subaru."

"We'd have to get out of the room really quickly," Kamui said. "I'm not sure about you, but I'm no voyeur."

"I'm not a voyeur," Ichigo said. "I just like cheesy romance novels."

"And porn videos," Kamui said.

"It wasnot porn, it was Othello."

"It still had sex in it."

"But you couldn't see it," Ichigo said. "They moved the cameras. I still can't believe they showed that in class."

"I still can't believe you said 'Oh, look! We're watching porn!' in the middle of class," Kamui said, smiling.

Ichigo cracked up as she put the ice cream in the freezer. "That was funny!"

"Yeah, even the teacher laughed."

Ichigo finished putting things away, and then went over to the door to grab her coat and pull on her boots. Kamui followed suit. The two of them left the apartment, locking it up. Once outside, they hailed a taxi and directed the driver to Shinjuku General. It was a good half-hour drive, so Ichigo reached into her book bag and pulled out the notebook with their plans in it.

"Remember, we're celebrating my birthday," Ichigo said. "That's the excuse for the ice cream."

"But your birthday isn't until next month," Kamui said.

"Seishirou and Subaru don't know that. Besides, I won't be here to celebrate with you guys. Dad wants to spend more time with me, so I'm moving back to Hawaii for a few months."

"You are?" Kamui asked. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise, but I overheard my mom on the phone with my dad."

"I see."

"Anyway," Ichigo said. "That's not important. Helping Subaru win this bet is the important thing. We obviously don't have a lot of time left."

"Kakyou said that we have more of a chance now," Kamui said. "He told me."

"Oh, he came to you again?"

"Yeah," he smirked. "He has a crush on Hokuto."

Ichigo giggled.

"We have to get them together," Kamui said.

"We're playing matchmaker for Subaru and Seishirou first, then we're suddenly playing matchmaker for Kakyou and Hokuto?" Ichigo asked, raising a slender eyebrow.

"Well, you don't have to," Kamui told her. "I could easily get Kakyou out of that prison of a home his parents have locked him up in."

"How?"

Kamui leaned over and whispered into the girl's ear: "Telekinetic powers. I can easily blast a wall out."

"I see," Ichigo said.

"Here you are," the driver said, pulling up in front of Shinjuku General.

Kamui pulled out some money and handed it to the driver. He and Ichigo got out of the cab and headed into the hospital. They spotted Hokuto and Seishirou over by the help desk. Hokuto saw them and waved to them.

"Hey, guys," she said. "Glad you could make it! We were just about to take a few gifts up to Yuya-kun and grab Subaru-chan."

"Good," Ichigo said. "I wanted all of us together after this visit anyway."

"Oh? Why?" Hokuto asked.

"Kamui-chan and I have a surprise to celebrate my birthday."

"Oooh! You never told me it was your birthday!" Hokuto exclaimed.

Seishirou interrupted. "We should go get Subaru-kun. Happy birthday, Ichigo-chan."

"Thank you," Ichigo said.

The four of them headed up to the room where Yuya was staying. Ichigo held Hokuto back for a second as Seishirou led the way.

"Hokuto," she said softly, so that Seishirou wouldn't hear, "it's not really my birthday until next month. We just needed an excuse to have ice cream sundaes."

"Why don't we just use that plan on your actual birthday?" Hokuto asked, her voice low.

"Because," Ichigo said, "the bet ends in less than a week."

"What?"

"That's what Kamui said," Ichigo explained. "He says that he has someone telling his about our progress on getting Seishirou to fall in love with Subaru."

"Who?"

"Someone you know," the Hawaiian girl hinted with a wink.

Hokuto blinked. But she didn't say anything, for at that moment, a crash sounded from the room where Yuya was supposed to be. They all hurried towards the room. Seishirou slammed the door opened. After that, everything moved so fast, that hardly anyone knew what was going on. A knife sliced through the air and blood splattered the face of a young man.

"Subaru!" Hokuto screamed.

She ran over to Subaru's side. Kamui and Ichigo stared. Seishirou stood with one hand over his bleeding eye. The knife had hit his right eye.

Seishirou managed to get the knife away from the woman who had attacked. The woman fell to her knees. A group of doctors ran into the room, several of them rushing to Seishirou to tend to his wound. Subaru was frozen in place.

"Seishirou-san…" he said, dumbfounded.

Doctors rushed Seishirou into surgery. His eye needed to be attended to. Subaru rushed after them, but they closed the doors to the surgery ward, not allowing him in. Hokuto, Ichigo, and Kamui watched as Subaru pounded on the door, calling Seishirou's name. The blood from the cuts that covered his hands stained the door.

"Subaru! Calm down!" Hokuto begged, holding her brother's shoulders. "Subaru!"

Subaru pushed Hokuto away and continued to call and pound the doors, tears streaming down his face.

"SEISHIROU-SAN!" he cried. "SEISHIROU-SAN!"

Hokuto stared at her brother as he fell to his knees, leaning against the door. Tears ran down the younger twin's face. Kamui and Ichigo stood behind her, worrying for both Subaru and Seishirou. Kamui remembered doing the exact same thing for Subaru in his past.

_((Kamui leaned against the door of the surgery ward, tears streaming down his face. He called for Subaru, knowing that it was pointless. He wanted to be with the older man, but he knew that he would just be in the way of the surgery.))_

"Kamui-chan," Ichigo whispered, "Seishirou's never going to be able to see out of that eye again, is he?"

Kamui shook his head. "He'll be blind in that eye for the rest of his life."

Ichigo, Hokuto, and Kamui looked at Subaru. What had happened had hurt the young man deeply. Watching someone he cared about lose an eye, even if it was to save his life, was almost too much for him to bear.

"Seishirou-san…" Subaru whispered.

_

* * *

Again, I apologize for the late update. I got an e-mail from my boyfriend, saying that he's going to be sent to Iraq on March 8th so I'm understandably depressed right now. But anyway, this chapter only took a few days to write, so I should have uploaded it a lot sooner. Thanks to all who have reviewed._


	13. Chapter Twelve

_**Author's Note:** Oi. It's been over a year since this story began as one fucked-up dream I had. Now, we're damn near the ending of this fic.  
__I apologize for the extremely long wait for this chapter. I've been working on getting everything ready for graduation. So, you'll all forgive me, right?_

Chapter Twelve

Kamui and Hokuto stood at the door to Subaru's room, listening as Subaru cried. The young man was more than upset because Seishirou had lost his right eye. Hokuto had already spoken to her brother and promised to take him to the hospital tomorrow to visit Seishirou. Kamui had offered to go as well. He mostly wanted to go to make sure that the bet wouldn't end in a bad way.

It wound up that all three of them were going.

The next day, when they went to the hospital, Hokuto had Subaru go in first. Kamui was a bit apprehensive, but he didn't think Seishirou would try anything with three people outside, ready to burst in at the slightest sign of danger. He and Hokuto waited outside for several minutes.

"I'm sorry!" Subaru cried, taking Seishirou's hand. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"What's wrong?" Seishirou asked, looking at the younger man with a worried expression on his face. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Your eye," Subaru sniffed. "It was my fault!"

Seishirou inwardly cringed. Subaru blamed himself for what had happened. Yes, the young onmyouji was standing in the face of danger. Yes, the woman was prepared to seriously injure Subaru. Yes, Seishirou had interfered and had lost his right eye in the process. However, it was not Subaru's fault. Seishirou told him this. Subaru didn't seem to believe him.

"If you're so distressed about this, maybe I could get you to do me a favor," Seishirou said. "Will you do _anything_ for me?"

Subaru nodded. Anything to make up for this, no matter what it was. Surely, Seishirou wouldn't make him do anything bad.

"Treat me to an Angel Cream from Mister Donut!" Seishirou smiled. "After all, I'm not allowed to go outside yet. And I'm aching for something sweet!"

Subaru nodded. He took Seishirou's order, then left. He bumped into Hokuto on his way out.

"Did you get to apologize?" she asked.

"Yeah," Subaru smiled. He headed off.

"Where are you going?"

"To Mister Donut!"

Kamui and Hokuto blinked as Subaru disappeared around the corner. Kamui turned to Hokuto and told her to go see Seishirou before he went in. Hokuto nodded and went inside, clutching a bouquet of flowers to her chest. Kamui waited outside.

It wasn't long before a young nurse went in to check on Seishirou. Hokuto rushed out with an apology and ran smack into Kamui, who was waiting patiently for her to come out.

"So, how's he doing?" Kamui asked.

"He seems to be taken this rather lightly," Hokuto said, confused. "I would have thought that losing an eye would be hard for someone to take. But he's got himself under damn near perfect control."

"He's a good actor," Kamui said. "I'll give him that. But we need to watch for any clues that he might be weakening. I already have Kakyou watching his dreams."

"Kakyou?" Hokuto asked. "Kuzuki Kakyou?"

Kamui blinked. Then nodded. A grin spread across his face when Hokuto turned bright red. He snickered silently at his friend, who was beginning to look like Subaru in a skirt.

"Are you the one who told him about me?" Hokuto asked.

"He knew that he would meet you. He's a Dreamgazer. He knows the future."

Hokuto pouted. "I wish you had told me that you knew him."

"He was one of the Chi no Ryu, along with Fuuma and Seishirou," Kamui said. "I only knew him because he kept visiting me in my dreams, despite what Fuuma told him to do."

"Well," Hokuto said. "I'm glad I got to meet him. He's an interesting person. It's too bad he's stuck up in that prison of a home his parents have him in."

"Don't worry, Hokuto," Kamui said, "he won't be stuck much longer."

Hokuto blinked. Kamui didn't do anything to reply. Instead, he sat down to wait for Subaru to get back. Hokuto sat with him. When Subaru finally did get back, the doctors and a couple of policemen were talking with Seishirou, so Hokuto told her brother to take the doughnuts to Yuya. Subaru nodded and he, Hokuto, and Kamui went to Yuya's room.

Subaru knocked on the door. There was a shuffling noise and the little boy's voice called out.

"Come in!"

Subaru opened the door. He and Hokuto stuck their heads in, with Kamui waiting outside for a moment. Yuya smiled when he saw Subaru.

"Onii-chan!" he saw Hokuto. "And…wow! You have the exact same face as Onii-chan!"

"Yup! I'm Hokuto, Subaru's twin sister!" Hokuto smiled. She grabbed Kamui and pulled him into the room. "And this is our friend, Shirou Kamui!"

"Hi, Kamui!" Yuya grinned.

Kamui gave a wave and a soft smile to the boy. He sat off on the sidelines and observed as Hokuto and Subaru interacted with Yuya. From what he was seeing, Yuya was definitely a likeable kid. And it was apparent that Subaru had latched onto the kid as the older brother figure. And it was a relatively short time before Hokuto was designated as Yuya's "onee-chan."

Kamui sat silently in the corner. He was deep in thought. It was obvious that the little boy cared a lot about Subaru and that Subaru cared about him in return. But since Yuya was so ill, there was relatively little chance that the boy would survive much longer without a new kidney. As Kamui thought, an idea presented itself to him. It seemed like a good one and Kamui was certain that he could pull it off. He smiled.

* * *

"You're going to give him your kidney?" Ichigo asked.

Kamui had left the hospital, leaving a message with Yuya's doctor to tell Subaru and Hokuto that he had gone to see Ichigo. Now, he and Ichigo sat at a table in the bakery. A small dish of pastries sat on the table in front of them.

"Yeah," Kamui said. "Subaru was going to, but right now, he's so distraught about Seishirou that I don't think he could go through with surgery."

"But wait, how do you know they'll accept your kidney?" Ichigo asked. "You have to have a medical background check and if they find out that there was two Shirou Kamui's out there with the same stats, just different ages, what do you think will happen?"

"That's why I'm going to go talk to Nokoru and my aunt," Kamui said. "Tokiko already knows that I'm here. So, I don't think I'll have much of a problem with that."

"You're going to forge a medical background?"

"Kinda. It's going to be the same background, but I'm going to have to change the name and date of birth. And a couple of other things. I'll have Tokiko help with that. She's studying to be a nurse."

"But that's still illegal!" Ichigo said.

"But if it will save Yuya, what does it matter?" Kamui asked.

Ichigo paused.

"Subaru cares a lot about Yuya," Kamui continued. "I don't want to see him hurt."

"And what about Seishirou?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know. Kakyou's found signs of definite weakness, but we can't know for sure."

"We'll just have to see then, won't we?"

"Yeah," Kamui said. "I hope for all of them that we managed to save everyone."

* * *

It was around breakfast the next day that a distressing phone call came for Subaru. Kamui and Hokuto listened as they heard sobs coming through the receiver. Subaru recognized the caller as Yuya when he heard a call for "Onii-chan."

"Stay in your room!" Subaru commanded. "Hokuto-chan and I are coming to the hospital, so you just stay put!"

With that, he hung up and ran to get his jacket. Kamui and Hokuto followed, grabbing shoes and coats and heading outside. Kamui hailed a taxi and the three teens got in. Subaru directed the driver to Shinjuku General and told him to hurry.

When they got there, the front doors to the hospital were surrounded by a mob of press. Cameras flashed and people were yelling out questions. The noise was almost unbearable. A side door opened and a familiar doctor ushered Subaru, Hokuto, and Kamui inside.

"What's going on!" Hokuto asked.

"It's the press!" the doctor replied. "Somehow, they got wind of the incident concerning Sakurazuka-san. It's in all the papers!"

"Where's Yuya-kun?" Subaru asked. "What about Seishirou-san?"

"They've been moved to protect them," the doctor told him.

Subaru nodded and headed off. Hokuto stopped him for a moment.

"Subaru, go find Yuya!" she said. "Kamui-chan and I will find Sei-chan!"

The three went their separate ways to find the two friends. It didn't take Subaru long to find Yuya. The boy was in the dialysis room, huddled in a corner. Yuya grabbed hold of the Sumeragi and sobbed. Nurses came in to check on Yuya and things were settled with him.

Seishirou, however, was nowhere to be found. Hokuto and Kamui eventually split up to search for the older man. Kamui was in the west wing of the hospital when he sensed the path of a familiar illusion. He followed it up the stairs to the roof and, sure enough, there was Seishirou. Kamui remained hidden from the Sakurazukamori's sight and watched him.

"It seems," he heard Seishirou mutter, "that the time to settle our bet has come, Sumeragi Subaru-kun."

Kamui's eyes widened. The end of the bet had come at last. But the results…only Seishirou knew them. There was really nothing more that Kamui, Hokuto, Ichigo, or Kakyou could do. Soon, they would know. Subaru's life was hanging in the balance.

* * *

The next day, Subaru, Hokuto, and Ichigo went to visit Yuya after school. Kamui was staying after in order to put in plan into action. He went over to the university division of CLAMP Academy and asked around until he found Magami Tokiko. With caution, he approached Tokiko and addressed her.

"Magami Tokiko-sempai?" he asked.

Tokiko turned around. "Hello, Kamui-kun. I'm surprised. I thought you were much younger."

"It's a long story, Oba-chan," Kamui said.

"Ah, so you know that I'm your aunt."

_((Author's Note: For those who don't know the difference, "Oba-chan" is "aunt" and "Obaa-chan" is "grandmother." Slight difference in the spelling, great difference in the meaning.))_

"Yes. Like I said, it's a long story, but you, yourself, told me who you were."

"I don't recall meeting you before," Tokiko said, thoughtfully. "I did see you at the dance recital, though."

"You haven't met me before," Kamui said. "You tell me who you are in nine years. When we first meet, really."

"Nine years?"

"There are two of me in this time," Kamui explained. "I'll do my best to explain."

With that, Kamui told Tokiko what he could. How he fought Fuuma in the Final Battle in 1999, how he supposedly died, but somehow wound up in the year 1990. He told her what he was doing, what he was planning, and finally, he asked for her help with the medical background.

"What will you do after everything has happened?" Tokiko asked. "Surely, you don't intend to stay here? Wouldn't it be strange if my sister found you?"

"Well, yes," Kamui admitted. "But I don't intend to let 'Kaa-san find me here."

"Well…"

"Please, Tokiko-san?"

Tokiko thought for a moment. Then, she nodded. "Alright."

Kamui let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"We're going to need to hack into the medical records and create a new file for you."

"Yes, I know," Kamui said. "I was going to ask Nokoru about that."

"Ah."

"In fact, I'd better go do that," Kamui said. "Come with me, please, Oba-chan?"

"Sure," Tokiko said. "I'm going to need to be there if he agrees, anyways."

Kamui smiled and he and Tokiko headed over to Nokoru's student government office.

* * *

Kamui rolled over and turned off the alarm clock. He looked over to Subaru, who was still in bed, sleeping. Kamui got up, grabbed the clothes that Hokuto had laid out for him and went into the bathroom to change. Hokuto had obviously spent less time than usual putting together outfits, but it was okay. She was probably really worried about Seishirou and her brother, so her creative clothing was not up to usual standards, but still good-looking.

Kamui slipped on his clothes and headed quietly down to the streets. It was early in the morning, around 5:30, so there was relatively little traffic. He hailed a taxi and gave the driver directions to CLAMP Academy. When he got there, he would meet up with Tokiko and Nokoru. Together, the three of them would create a false medical background in order to get his kidney to Yuya.

The taxi arrived at the academy and Kamui handed him cash to pare for his fare. He headed off to the computer lab. Nokoru and Tokiko were already there. Kamui joined them and they got to work.

An hour later, Kamui held a printed copy of his new medical background. According to the profile, he was Magami Kamui, born in May of 1974, not Shirou Kamui, born in May of 1984. He was Magami Tokiko's little brother, so said the profile.

_((Author's Note: Excuse me for bullshitting for his birthdate.))_

Kamui thanked Tokiko and Nokoru. Without them, he would never have been able to do this. He left them with a smile and headed outside to hail a taxi. With this medical background, it would be easy to do a compatibility test to make sure his kidney would save Yuya.

* * *

Subaru walked into the hospital, deep in thought. The conversation he had had with a blind man echoed in his mind. One statement in particular stood out from the others.

_"It seems to me that you love this person very much."_

The blind man had said that. Subaru had been talking about how Seishirou had lost his right eye protecting him. After he was finished, the blind man had stated that the way Subaru was talking about the veterinarian indicated that the young man had feelings for Seishirou. And now, as Subaru walked through the halls, he realized that the blind man's words rang true.

"I…" Subaru said, pausing in front of Seishirou's door. "I think I'm in love with Seishirou-san."

Subaru took a moment. He searched himself and confirmed it. He, Sumeragi Subaru, was in love with Sakurazuka Seishirou. Subaru opened the door and stepped inside. Almost immediately, a grand illusion surrounded him. A soft wind blew his hat from his head.

"Wha--?" Subaru asked.

From the other side of the illusion, Seishirou emerged. A smile was on his lips. Not a happy smile, but a predatory smirk. Subaru's eyes widened.

"Seishirou-san?"

"It seems the time to settle our bet has come," Seishirou said. "Sumeragi Subaru-kun."

* * *

Kamui was just coming to the front door of the hospital when he felt it. The Sakurazukamori's illusion had been set up. Kamui's eyes widened in horror.

"SUBARU!" he shouted.

He ran into the hospital and headed straight for Seishirou's room. Kamui could only pray that he would make it in time.

_**Author's Note:** Wahahahahahahahaha! ((dodges spiked balls and rotten vegetables and the occasional tamahawk from the audience))_

_**Liviana: **Thank you for your kind review!  
__**Ame no Chikara:** I'm glad you like this. I finally updated, incorporating book six into the story! And seven will be next, but no spoilers for the next chapter.  
__**Sami: **No, no! It will be finished! I've just been busy! Forgive me!  
__**Jessiehimechan:** No spoilers. I will try to do a fan art, but it will take a while. I no longer have access to scanners. T.T But yes.  
__**Subaru's Voice:** Lookie, lookie! I finally updated! Aren't you proud of me?  
__**Haru:** Thank you for the review and the condolences. You're very kind.  
__**Aerine Lillet:** Here's the new chapter. I hope it doesn't disappoint you.  
__**AthrunZallaLover:** Sorry it took me so long to update. Hope you like this chapter.  
__**SuperSeme Fuuma:** Oh, jesus. It has been so long since my last update. Hope you aren't mad at me. Oh, don't worry. We'll be seeing the ice cream sundaes soon.  
__**Chris Pwure:** Agh! I've updated! It's a sign of the second coming! Run for your lives!  
__**Moshi Moshi Mai:** Oh, damn. I spoiled stuff for you. Yes, that really happened in the manga.  
__**Tekoo:** I'm glad you liked both of them. The chapter I did for S.V. was fun to write. Yummy yaoi fantasies! _


	14. Chapter Thirteen

_**Author's Note:** Okay, okay. Since I had a cliffhanger last chapter, I'll be nice and write this chapter as quickly as possible. Remember a couple chapters back, how I said that I was almost done with this fic? I'm pretty sure now that I'm NOT. The plot keeps extending itself, so there's more now. Things just keep coming in my twisted little psyche.  
**Warnings:** Seishirou being a bastard. Subaru flipping out. All that wonderful "End of the Bet" stuff. I'm incorporating some things from the original story here, so…yeah. _

Chapter Thirteen

Subaru looked at Seishirou. He didn't know what was going on. What did Seishirou mean by "bet?" Subaru didn't remember ever making any sort of bet with the older man.

"Welcome, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, his voice sounding dangerous, "to my maboroshi. You've been under my spell. And it has been one year to this day since we met again."

"'Met again'?" Subaru asked. "Seishirou-san, what's going on?"

"Don't you remember?"

The illusion shifted. Instead of a desolate background, there was a little boy; a little boy with short jet-black hair and emerald eyes. Subaru's eyes widened as he remembered a reoccurring dream that he kept seeing. A dream where he was nine years old and he had met a mysterious stranger underneath a sakura tree. Not unlike the one Seishirou stood underneath now.

Subaru watched as his younger self attempted to do an exorcism on the sakura tree he stood before. He remembered the sharp jolt of pain he had felt when he failed to help the spirits inside the tree; how he felt when he kept hearing the cries resonating from within the beautiful, but deadly tree.

_((The young Sumeragi heir looked sadly at the tree. He had failed. He reached out to catch a falling sakura petal, but caught something else: a droplet of red liquid. Subaru looked up and saw, perched in the high branches of the tree, a teenaged boy. A strange, predatory smile was on his face and his golden eyes burned into Subaru's own. There was a little girl in the older boy's arms. But there was something wrong. Something very wrong._

_The boy's hand was through the child's chest.))_

"Oh, my god…" Subaru whispered in disbelief.

_((As Subaru watched in horror, the teenager pulled his hand out of the dead girl's chest and jumped down from the tree, landing right in front of the young boy. Before Subaru could do anything, the strange teenager put a hand over his eyes, casting a spell that would put the younger boy to sleep.))_

Seishirou watched the Sumeragi as the boy stood frozen in his tracks. It was interesting to see, he admitted to himself, the way Subaru was acting in the face of his own past. It was as if the younger man couldn't admit that it was true. Even as Seishirou told Subaru who he truly was, the young Sumeragi master still could not believe him.

"If you truly are the Sakurazukamori, then why am I still alive!" Subaru asked. "None who see the Sakurazukamori at work live! Obaa-chan told me! If this is all real, there's no way I'd still be here!"

Seishirou changed the scene to when he had started the bet. As the scene went on in front of the two men, Subaru's eyes widened when he saw the Seishirou of the past mark his own past self, by kissing the back of Subaru's hands.

"Seishirou-san…?" Subaru asked, feeling the older man's arms wrap about his shoulders.

"When I first met you, I knew you were an onmyouji," Seishirou said into Subaru's ear. "But I had no clue that you were the thirteenth head of the Sumeragi family."

He took Subaru's hands and chanted a spell. Spurts of magic in the form of lightning ran across the black satin gloves on the boy's hands and the gloves ripped. Shreds of the gloves fell to the ground, revealing the inverted pentacles on the back of Subaru's hands. Seishirou pressed his lips to Subaru's right hand.

"The former master of the Sumeragi clan must have been quite surprised to see the hands of her grandson suddenly marked with the symbol of the enemy," Seishirou said.

Subaru remembered when his grandmother had found him at Ueno Park when he was nine years old. He had been standing beneath a sakura tree and she ran up to him, pulling him into a relieved hug. But when Lady Sumeragi had noticed the marks on Subaru's hands, she let out a scream. And now, as Subaru looked at the inverted pentacles on the back of his hands, he remembered the promise he had made to his grandmother.

_I will never show my hands to anyone ever again…_

Seishirou caught Subaru as the boy fell unconscious. Picking him up, a predatory smirk crossed his lips.

_Soon, the results of our little bet will be known to you, Subaru-kun_, he thought._ You will know whether you live or die._

Seishirou woke his prey with a spell and looked into the boy's green eyes, putting him back on his feet. "Our bet has ended."

Subaru blinked. "Bet?"

"_We will live together for one year,_" Seishirou said, reciting the terms of the bet that the two of them had made over seven years ago._ "And if by the end of that year, I feel something for you, I will allow you to live. However, if you could not convince me that you meant more than a corpse to me, I would kill you."_

Subaru looked at Seishirou in fear. "Seishirou-san."

"The bet is over. The winner has been determined."

Subaru, fearing the worst, began to step backwards away from the older man. Seishirou stepped closer to Subaru, until he had the boy pinned up against the tree that stood in the middle of his illusion.

"Don't you want to know who won?" Seishirou asked, with a slight purr in his voice. "Don't you want to know your fate, Subaru-kun?"

_((**Author's Note:** Just to spite you, I'm cutting scenes here. XP))_

* * *

Kamui ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He could feel the illusion that Seishirou had set up. It was strong; stronger than the last one of the illusions that Kamui had been in, when he came face to face with the Sakurazukamori when he was with Kotori. Even if he did manage to get to Subaru, would he be able to break into the illusion in case Seishirou tried to kill the Sumeragi? 

"Hey, stop!" a voice called behind Kamui.

Someone grabbed Kamui's shoulder and turned him around. It was a doctor.

"Let me go!" Kamui exclaimed. "I have to get to Subaru! Please!"

"Do you have clearance?" the doctor asked. "You need to have clearance to come to this wing of the hospital."

"You don't understand!" Kamui cried. "Please let me go! Subaru might be in danger!"

"I can't let you go if you don't have clearance to be in this wing, kid."

"Let him go!" Hokuto called, running up the stairs.

"Hokuto-chan!" Kamui said.

"Who are you?" the doctor asked.

"Sumeragi Hokuto," Hokuto replied. "Let him go! He's with me and we have to get to my brother!"

"Sumeragi? Why didn't you say so? Go ahead!"

"Thank you!" Kamui sighed in exasperation. He turned and ran down the hall with Hokuto at his side. "Ne, Hokuto-chan, how did you know I was here?"

"I saw you come to the hospital," Hokuto explained.

"Didn't you have plans with that one girl?"

"She had to cancel at the last minute; something was going on at work," Hokuto said. "Now come on! We have to find Subaru and Sei-chan!"

Kamui nodded.

* * *

Seishirou leaned over Subaru. Subaru looked away from the older man and closed his eyes. He heard Seishirou chuckled darkly. 

"I said that if you could not make me feel anything for you that I would kill you," Seishirou said. "But if you made me think of you as special, that was another thing. So, Subaru-kun, do you know what lies ahead for you?"

_I'm going to die,_ Subaru thought. _He's going to kill me. There's no way that he loves me. He's the Sakurazukamori. _

Seishirou cupped a hand underneath Subaru's chin and forced the younger man to look at him. Green eyes met a single golden one, with the other covered in a bandage still. The predatory grin on the older man's face could only mean one thing: death. Subaru closed his eyes again, preparing himself to die.

However, rather than the feeling of Seishirou's hand being thrust through his chest, the sensation of the older man's lips against his made Subaru's eyes snap open. He let out a squeak into the kiss and turned a bright crimson colour. Then he relaxed into the kiss, though his heart was racing. He felt the older man's hand move from his face to his hand, capturing it and pressing it against the trunk of the tree. Seishirou's other arm wrapped itself around Subaru's waist, pulling him closer.

Seishirou's tongue pressed against Subaru's lips, parting them and thrusting itself into the Sumeragi's mouth. Subaru felt the older man explore his mouth and let out a soft moan. Then, the sensation was gone as Seishirou pulled away. Subaru breathed, his eyes half-lidded, and then looked at Seishirou. The older man pulled Subaru as close as he could, pressing their hips together.

"Subaru-kun," Seishirou said. "The bet…you won. I feel something for you. I truly do love you."

With those words said, Seishirou took one hand and put it on the back of Subaru's neck and kissed the younger man deeply. Subaru, shy at first, slowly put his arms around Seishirou and allowed the older man to kiss him, not caring about anything except that this was Seishirou who was kissing him.

* * *

Kamui and Hokuto ran to Seishirou's room. The essence of illusions was radiating from the room and Kamui could feel it to confirm. He turned to Hokuto. 

"I'll go in first," he told her. "I'll be able to create a distraction if something bad is going on, while you help Subaru."

"Be careful, Kamui-chan," Hokuto said.

Kamui nodded and threw the door to Seishirou's room open and entered the illusion. He looked around to try to find Subaru and the Sakurazukamori, fearing that he may already be too late.

"Subaru!" he called.

"Do you mind?" Seishirou asked.

Kamui looked to his left, where Seishirou's voice had come from. His eyes widened when he saw Seishirou standing with Subaru pinned to the sakura tree. Subaru didn't look afraid or anything; certainly not dead. Seishirou, on the other hand, looked annoyed.

"What's going on, Kamui-chan?" Hokuto called from the hall.

"I think…" Kamui said, "that we don't have to worry…"

"I repeat, Kamui-kun," Seishirou said. "Do you mind? Subaru-kun and I were busy, before you interrupted, quite rudely."

"Sorry," Kamui apologized. He turned around and headed back out the room. "Congrats on winning, Subaru."

"Huh?" Subaru asked.

He didn't get a reply. Kamui had left the room. Seishirou frowned and dispelled his illusion. He pulled Subaru over to the hospital bed and sat down, bringing Subaru into his lap. Subaru went willingly for a moment, but then, words that Seishirou had spoken to him came back to him.

_"I am the Sakurazukamori." _

Subaru pulled away from the older man. "No."

Seishirou looked at Subaru. "What's wrong, Subaru-kun?"

"This can't be, Seishirou-san," Subaru told him. "There's no way this can work. I'm the Sumeragi Head. You're the Sakurazukamori. And you lied to me."

"Subaru-kun…"

"You're a murderer," Subaru continued. "You were going to kill me. I don't know if I trust you anymore, Seishirou-san."

"I never planned to kill you, Subaru-kun," Seishirou told him flatly.

"Yes, you did. You said that you would kill me…"

"If you couldn't make me feel something for you," Seishirou said. "And you did. You made me love you."

"But you still lied to me!" Subaru half-shouted, getting off the bed and looking at Seishirou. "You didn't tell me who you were and lied to me that you loved me for months!"

"I didn't lie. I merely showed only half of who I am. As for saying that I loved you, in the beginning, yes, I'll admit that was a lie. However, that changed. I do love you, Subaru-kun."

"How…?" Subaru asked. "How can I know for sure?"

"Well, for one thing, I haven't killed you."

Subaru looked at the older man. "That isn't exactly comforting."

"What can I do, then?" Seishirou asked. "What will tell you that I'm telling you the truth this time?"

"I…I don't know."

Seishirou sighed. "Then, I don't know if this was worth it, Subaru-kun."

"Seishirou-san…"

Seishirou looked at Subaru. He stood and pulled the boy into an embrace. Subaru flinched sharply, afraid for one moment. But when Seishirou did nothing other than hold him, Subaru looked up.

"Sei—"

"Do you love me, Subaru-kun?"

Subaru hesitated. He closed his eyes and remembered his thoughts on his way to Seishirou's room. There was just no denying it; he loved Seishirou. He loved him and didn't think he really did care that Seishirou was the Sakurazukamori. Well, he did care, but not enough to hate the older man for it. What upset him was that Seishirou hadn't told him.

"Subaru-kun?"

"I…" Subaru said softly, trying to hold back tears that he felt welling up. "I do. I love you, Seishirou-san."

"Think, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, kissing the top of Subaru's head. "What will tell you that I'm being honest about this?"

Subaru closed his eyes. "I really…don't know…"

Their surroundings suddenly changed. Subaru looked at Seishirou, thinking that it was another of the older man's illusions. But Seishirou looked confused. He looked around, as if to find who had set up something as elegant as this.

"I can prove his words true, Sumeragi Subaru-san," a voice said.

It was the voice of a young man. Quiet and wistful, it came to Subaru and Seishirou from somewhere in this illusion. A boy appeared, dressed in a simple white kimono. His hair was a soft blond colour and fell to below his shoulders. The boy's eyes were an unusual shade of gold. He looked about the same age as Subaru.

"Who are you?" Seishirou asked.

"My name is Kuzuki Kakyou," the boy replied. "I am a yumemi and this is my dream."

"Why did you bring us here?" Seishirou asked, growing suspicious of the newcomer.

"As I said, I can prove to Sumeragi-san that what you tell him is true," Kakyou told him. "I've been watching your dreams on request of a friend. Dreams never lie. And yours have all but flat-out said that you love Sumeragi-san."

"How do they tell you that?" Subaru asked, intrigued.

"I interpret the dreams I see and Sakurazuka-san's dreams of late…" Kakyou said, pausing to look at Seishirou. "They've all been about you. About being with you, guarding you, holding you…"

Subaru blushed.

"If you like, I could show you one of Sakurazuka-san's…tamer dreams," the yumemi told him.

"'Tamer'?" Subaru hesitated.

"You didn't…" Seishirou began, his eyes narrowing at Kakyou.

"Of course not," Kakyou said, a slight smile on his lips. "I'm not a voyeur."

Subaru turned an extreme shade of red, almost purple. "S-Seishirou-san! Y-you…!"

Seishirou sweatdropped. Kakyou held back a laugh. He hadn't had so much fun in years. It was great. He looked at Subaru, who was still red, and stifled a chuckle. Then, the yumemi changed the Dreamscape to show one of the older man's dreams. It was one of the Sakurazukamori's longer ones, but it still showed everything. Kakyou had planned to show this one, then two dreams of the future; a dream of the future that Subaru and Seishirou shared now and one of the future that would have been if destiny hadn't been altered.

Subaru watched the dream, blushing slightly. The dream was of him and Seishirou living together as partners. They looked happy together. Every now and then, Seishirou would sneak a kiss from Subaru in the dream. A long time passed and the dream ended.

"Sumeragi-san, I have to show you a couple of other dreams," Kakyou said. "Because of a mutual friend that you and I have, the future has been changed. The future he knew and I saw before was a horrible one, full of pain, death, heartbreak and tears. But now, the future has been changed. It is still tragic, but in the case of you and Sakurazuka-san, there is less pain and tears."

"A mutual friend?" Subaru asked.

"Yes," another voice said.

Kamui appeared in the dream. The older boy's amethyst eyes were wistful, but happy at the same time. Kakyou looked at him in mild surprise.

"I thought you would be awake," Kakyou said.

"I was," Kamui replied. "But the doctors had to put me under while they went through with the operation."

"Operation?" Subaru asked.

"Yes. I've donated my kidney to Yuya-kun. We ran the blood tests and everything after I left you guys a couple hours ago."

"It's been a couple of hours?" Subaru asked, startled.

"Time passes quickly during dreams," Kakyou said. "What may seem like only a few minutes in a dream tends to be even longer in the real world."

"So, Yuya-kun will be okay?" Seishirou asked.  
"Yup," Kamui said.

"That's good," Subaru said, giving a sigh of relief.

"Excuse me, Kamui-san," Kakyou said. "Do you want me to show them the future that you know?"

"After I explain," Kamui told the yumemi. He turned to Subaru and Seishirou. "I want to apologize. I've been deceiving you two for a long time. I'm not from here." He paused. "No, I am from here, but not from this time. Kinda."

"Huh?" Subaru asked.

"It's hard to explain, really. I have no clue how I told Hokuto and Ichigo."

"Kamui-san," Kakyou said, trying to help explain, "is from the year 1999."

Both Subaru and Seishirou visibly started. "What?"

"It's the truth," Kamui said. "I…I am the Kamui, the one who decides the fate of the earth in the year 1999. To keep things short, I had the choice to protect humanity or destroy it. I chose to protect and became the Kamui of the Ten no Ryu. You, Subaru, were one of the Seven Seals, part of the Ten no Ryu."

"And Sakurazuka-san…" Kakyou said, "was one of the Seven Angels; the Chi no Ryu, who fought to destroy humanity."

"Destroy humanity?" Subaru asked, looking at Seishirou.

"Kakyou, please show them," Kamui said.

Kakyou nodded and the Dreamscape changed once more. "Before I start the dream, I must warn you two. This future is not a kind one to either one of you."

Subaru braced himself for what horrible images he would see. Images of his future, Seishirou's future and Kamui's past.

_(("HOKUTO-CHAN!" Subaru screamed as he half-woke from the dream he had seen. The dream where the one he had loved had killed his only sister.))_

_(("I…and only I…will kill him…" Subaru swore.))_

_(("Your Wish is to kill me?" Seishirou asked. "The one who killed your dear elder sister? Cute, Subaru-kun."))_

_(("You chose," Fuuma said with a sadistic grin. "Your place is amongst the Seven Seals. Whereas I…I will take my own place with the Seven Angels."))_

_(("It seems that fate is not done with us yet," Subaru said. "The Sakurazukamori and I will fight again."))_

_(("So, your one true Wish **isn't**__to kill me and avenge your sister?" Seishirou asked. _

_"No…it's not," was the Sumeragi's reply.))_

_((A bridge surrounded by a fading kekkai. Kamui screamed for Subaru and hurried towards it, fearing the worst.))_

_(("How?"))_

_(("It was your sister…her final spell…cast at the cost of her life. To protect you, if I ever tried to kill you in the same way I killed her."))_

_(("Even if I meant no more to you than a twig you'd snap underfoot…be that as it may, I…I can't let go! That's why I wanted you to kill me," Subaru said, clinging to the dying Seishirou.))_

_(("Subaru-kun…I…you…"))_

_(("Do the words one utters before death tend to be truer or can they be a lie?" Subaru asked. "I don't know…I'll never find out. For I can't ask anymore…"))_

_(("Subaru…where did you go?"))_

_(("SUBARU!" Kamui cried, seeing the Sumeragi kneeling beneath the tree. His hands were covered with blood which had flowed from the long gashes across his lower arms.))_

_(("I'm sorry, Kamui…I can't live without him…"))_

_(("You'll never defeat me…" the Dark Kamui smirked. "Not so long as that Wish of yours interferes…"))_

_((Kamui felt the blade of his Twin Star's Shinken pierce his body, running through him as if he was nothing. And as Kamui felt his life slip away, the Tokyo Tower began to fall.))_

"That's enough," Kamui said.

"So, that's what this is all about," Seishirou said. "I knew there was something strange about you from the beginning."

"You could sense the power I held, right?"

"I suppose."

"It also explains the wound you had at Tokyo Tower," Subaru said. "But Kamui, why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"I was going to, but then I thought that I could possibly change the future and save you, Hokuto, and Seishirou."

"You let Hokuto and Ichigo know," Subaru pointed out. "You said so yourself."

"They wanted to help me save you two," Kamui explained.

"So, let me get this straight," Seishirou said. "You, Hokuto, and Ichigo have been playing games with Subaru-kun and I for the past several months, just to save us from our future?"

"Basically, yes. But I also did it to save Hokuto. I remember from my past that Subaru was very sad that you had lied to him, broken his heart, left him after trying to kill him, then went and killed his sister."

"Seishirou-san did all of that?" Subaru asked.

"Yes, in the future I'm from."

"And what now?" Seishirou asked. "How much of the future have you changed?"

"Quite a bit, actually," Kakyou said. "He's saved Hokuto's life and both of yours. As you saw, Subaru would have killed you and then committed suicide. Kamui's now prevented that. He's also saved Yuya's life. If he hadn't donated his kidney to Yuya, the boy would have died in the next month. I checked the boy's future after Kamui told me what he was going to do. Yuya will be fine."

"Kamui saved Yuya-kun's life?" Subaru asked. At Kakyou's nod, Subaru turned to Kamui and hugged him. "Thank you, Kamui."

"Not a problem."

"So, what else has changed?" Seishirou asked. "Will Subaru-kun and I still have to fight in 1999?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But unless one of you does something stupid, you'll be fine."

Subaru went back to Seishirou's side and allowed the older man to wrap an arm around his waist. Kamui and Kakyou looked at them with grins.

"They're so cute," Kamui said.

"Yes, they are."

Subaru blushed. Seishirou chuckled and kissed the boy soundly on the lips. Kamui laughed at the squeak that escaped his friend while Kakyou brought a camera into his Dreamscape and took photos.

* * *

"So we did it, then?" Ichigo asked. 

"It sure seems that way!" Hokuto smiled, bouncing as she waited in line to order ice cream. "Kamui walked into Sei-chan's illusion and caught them kissing!"

"What! I missed that!"

"Yup!"

"Any chance that Kamui had a camera on him?" Ichigo asked with a smirk.

"Probably not," Hokuto said, grinning.

"Damn. No blackmail material on them."

The guy at the counter finished with the person ahead of the two girls and asked for their orders. Hokuto ordered a double-scoop chocolate and mint on a waffle cone. Ichigo got a double-scoop of vanilla with strawberry sauce and whipped cream in a dish. Minutes later, they had their ice cream and went to sit down.

"So, what next?" Ichigo asked. "We helped Subaru win the bet, saved your life, and Kamui's gone to give his kidney to Yuya."

"We still have to treat Subaru and Sei-chan to ice cream sundaes," Hokuto said. "If only to see what happens."

"Seishirou will probably watch Subaru eat his ice cream and either a) be amused or b) get really horny, grab Subaru and haul him into the bedroom."

"Should we be talking about this in an ice cream parlor?" Hokuto asked.

"Probably not, but I don't really care."

"Of course not. Seeing as you watch porn."

"It was OTHELLO!" Ichigo protested. "Jeez, you and Kamui are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Probably not," Hokuto grinned.

* * *

A few days passed. Kamui and Seishirou had just been released from the hospital. As Kakyou had predicted, everything went well with Yuya and the boy was soon released from the hospital as well. Seishirou had, of course, dropped charges against Yuya's mother and she had been released from police custody. Everything was going well. 

Kamui, Hokuto, and Ichigo were sitting in Hokuto's apartment, planning everything they needed for the ice cream sundaes they were going to have with Subaru and Seishirou that night. Hokuto squealed with laughter as Ichigo explained the innuendo behind whipped cream. Kamui tried his best not to laugh himself silly when he found out that Hokuto didn't know what a cherry symbolized. The look on the older Sumeragi twin's face was simply priceless.

While those three busied themselves with plans, Subaru was waiting for Seishirou to finish closing up the clinic. He was saddened that the animal hospital had to be closed down, but then again, he still didn't know the real reason behind Seishirou's becoming a veterinarian in the first place. That was one thing that Seishirou couldn't tell him. As Subaru waited, the sky darkened and rain began to fall. It fell hard and in a steady rhythm. In the distance, Subaru could hear the thunder rolling.

"Well, looks like we're going to get a little wet, doesn't it?" Seishirou asked.

Seishirou made his way through the clinic carefully. He bumped into a table on his blind side, hurting his leg. Subaru went over to the older man and got on his right to help the older man through the clinic.

"Thank you, Subaru-kun," Seishirou told him. "I guess it will take a while for me to get used to being blind in one eye."

"Sei…"

"Don't you dare try to apologize, Subaru-kun," Seishirou frowned, turning to the younger man. "We've been through this. I chose to protect you. Losing my eye is nothing. What would I have done if I had lost you?"

Subaru gave the older man a soft smile. Seishirou returned the smile and gave Subaru a soft kiss on the forehead. The Sumeragi led him through the clinic and outside after grabbing their jackets. Though, by the time Seishirou had locked the clinic, the two of them were already very, very wet. Subaru hailed for a taxi and when they got in the vehicle, Subaru and Seishirou both dripped water everywhere. Seishirou gave the driver directions to Subaru's apartment.

About fifteen minutes later, the taxi dropped them off at the apartment complex where Subaru lived. Seishirou reached into his pocket and handed the driver some damp money to pay for the fare. Then he and Subaru ran into the building before they could get even wetter, if that was even possible. Both of them were soaked and Subaru was getting cold. Seishirou put an arm around Subaru's shoulders and held him close as they went up the elevator to Subaru's apartment.

Hurrying over to his apartment, Subaru pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He led Seishirou in and they both kicked off their wet shoes. Subaru went into the bathroom and grabbed a few towels. He handed one to the older man and took another and wrapped himself in it.

"I'll go make some tea," Seishirou said, slicking back some of the hair that was falling in his face.

"Oh, no, Seishirou-san," Subaru protested. "I should make it. You're a guest in my apartment."

"Nonsense, Subaru-kun. You're soaking wet and you've got clothes to change into. I'm going to make the tea; you go get changed into something dry. No arguments."

Subaru took one look into Seishirou's eyes and nodded. He headed into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Seishirou went into the kitchen and went about making tea. He had just set the kettle on the stove to boil when Hokuto came in.

"Oh, Seishirou-chan, you are here!" she said. Then she frowned. "You're soaked!"

"Yes, it's been raining quite hard," Seishirou said.

"Stay right there, Sei-chan. I'll bring you a robe."

Hokuto disappeared back into her own apartment and came back in a few minutes. Subaru was huddled on the couch with a towel wrapped about his shoulders and dressed in a pair of emerald green pajamas. Hokuto went into the kitchen and put a large, royal blue bathrobe into Seishirou's arms.

"Go get rid of those sopping wet clothes, Sei-chan," she told him. "I'll finish making the tea."

"Yes, ma'am," Seishirou said, heading off.

The kettle boiled and Hokuto poured the hot water into two mugs, which Seishirou had already prepared. She bounded into the living room without spilling a single drop and handed one of the mugs to her brother. Subaru accepted it with thanks and took a long sip of the hot liquid, letting it warm his body. Seishirou came into the living room a minute later, dressed in the knee-length bathrobe that Hokuto had given him.

"Here you go, Sei-chan!" Hokuto said, handing him the other mug. "I've got dinner started at my place. I'll call you guys over when it's ready. Then Kamui, Ichigo and I have a surprise for you two."

"More surprises?" Subaru asked with a half-grin.

"Don't be mean," Hokuto pouted. "We've been planning this for a long time. Sei-chan, will you be staying the night or do I need to dry your clothes?"

"Well, if Subaru-kun doesn't mind, staying the night doesn't sound like a bad idea," Seishirou said.

Subaru choked on his tea. "S-stay the night?"

"You don't mind; do you, Subaru-kun?" Seishirou asked, flashing the younger man a smile.

Subaru's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "I…d-don't mind," he managed to stammer.

Hokuto began laughing hysterically. Seishirou just gave a soft chuckle and put his arm around Subaru's waist, pulling the boy close to him. Subaru's face turned two more shades of red, but he leaned into Seishirou anyways, resting his head on the older man's shoulder. Hokuto giggled once again and pulled out a camera, snapping a picture.

"Why does everyone insist on taking our picture?" Seishirou asked, seeing spots in his good eye.

"Because you two are just so picture-perfect together!" Hokuto grinned as she bounded back out of the apartment.

Subaru sighed in exasperation. He took another sip of his tea, then set the mug on the coffee table in front of him. Seishirou drank his own tea and took Subaru in his arms, pulling him into his lap. The teenager blushed as Seishirou leaned down and captured Subaru's lips with his own. Subaru gripped the front of Seishirou's robe as the older man kissed him. The two of them remained like that for a time, until the ringing laughter of Subaru's older sister broke the silence of the apartment.

"Ohohohohohohoho! You two need to get a room!" Hokuto laughed. "It's bad luck for the older sister to catch you in the act!"

"H-Hokuto-chan!" Subaru squeaked.

"Dinner will be ready in five minutes," Hokuto said. She handed Seishirou a pair of black satin pajamas. "I made these for you, Sei-chan! Go change into them and then you two come over to my apartment! We'll all have dinner in our pajamas!"

She paused. "Which means, I'd better grab some pajamas for Kamui-chan!"

Hokuto went into the bedroom that Kamui and Subaru shared and grabbed the dark violet pajamas she had made for Kamui. She bounded out and next door. Seishirou slid Subaru off of him and went into the bathroom to change again. When he came out a few minutes later, he and Subaru went to Hokuto's apartment for dinner.

Kamui had already changed into his pajamas. Subaru could hear Hokuto and Ichigo in Hokuto's bedroom, laughing together. When they came out, Hokuto was dressed in blue silk pajamas and Ichigo in red-violet. Subaru noticed that everyone's pajamas were the same basic design, just different colours. The five of them sat down and Hokuto set plates in front of everyone.

"Itadakimasu!" they all chorused before beginning their meal.

"So, Kamui-chan," Hokuto said. "What are your plans now? Are you going to stay here with us or what?"

"I'm not sure yet," Kamui replied. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. Seeing as I'm still here, even though I don't think I should be, I guess I could probably finish high school and get a job."

"You still have your powers as a Kamui, don't you?" Subaru asked. "What are you going to do about that?"

"I don't know. I guess I could just never use them."

"What about 1999?" Ichigo asked. "Wouldn't it be kind of unfair for there to be three Kamui?"

"Probably," Kamui said. "I guess I'll just get out of the country before then. That way, there's no way I can interfere."

Ichigo nodded. The rest of dinner was pretty quiet after that. No one asked anymore questions and Kamui kept options in his mind for what to do next. He wasn't sure that he would stay after this. He knew it would be hard to disguise the fact that he was Kamui to a lot of people. Kakyou had found him, after all. What were that chances that Hinoto might find out? He couldn't really risk it.

The group finished dinner shortly. Hokuto and Ichigo went into the kitchen, taking the dishes from the meal with them. From the table, Kamui, Subaru, and Seishirou could hear the clinking of dishes being set into the sink. Hokuto giggled in the kitchen as she opened the freezer door. Ichigo got bowls and spoons, then called Kamui in. The amethyst-eyed boy stood and went into the kitchen. He was assigned to bring in the toppings.

Back in the other room, Seishirou was beginning to wonder what the other three were up to. The answer came as Hokuto, Kamui, and Ichigo stepped out of the kitchen with everything they needed for ice cream sundaes. They set everything on the table and Hokuto passed out bowls as Ichigo scooped ice cream into them. Kamui passed the toppings to Subaru and Seishirou.

"Have some whipped cream, Seishirou!" Kamui grinned.

Seishirou looked at Kamui in alarm. The way the boy had said "whipped cream" was rather…suggestive. The man inwardly groaned. He realized just what was going on. The ice cream sundaes were nothing but an innuendo fest.

"You three are evil," Seishirou told them.

Hokuto, Ichigo, and Kamui began laughing. As they laughed, Ichigo passed the can of cherries around. However, when it got to Seishirou, it was empty. Seishirou gave a soft pout.

"Why don't I get a cherry?" he asked.

"Here, Seishirou-san," Subaru said, taking the cherry from his sundae. "You can have mine."

Kamui snerked. Hokuto and Ichigo burst into another fit of laughter. Seishirou choked and Subaru looked at his friends in confusion. The other three teenagers just continued laughing.

_((Author's Note: XD Poor naïve Subaru-chan.))_

"Ano…thank you, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said.

When the group finished creating their sundaes, they began eating. Seishirou took a bite of his then looked at Subaru. The boy's eyes were closed and his lips were wrapped around a slice of strawberry that Kamui had insisted he put on his sundae. After swallowing the strawberry, Subaru licked his lips. Seishirou nearly choked on his own ice cream at the thoughts that were arising in his mind.

"Subaru, you have some whipped cream on your chin," Ichigo said.

Seishirou did his best to contain himself. But Hokuto, Ichigo, and Kamui were making it damnably hard. Subaru, unwittingly, was making it just as hard. Seishirou could not wait for this to end. He was being tortured with the heavy innuendo that was filling the room.

Finally, he finished his sundae and Subaru finished his just a moment after. Subaru stood up and thanked Hokuto for dinner. He took Seishirou's hand and the two headed to the door. Hokuto grinned.

"Behave you two!" she called after them.

"H-Hokuto-chan!" Subaru stammered, turning about fourteen shades of red.

Hokuto laughed. Ichigo and Kamui joined her.

"Kamui-chan will stay over here tonight to let you two have some privacy, okay?" Hokuto said through her laughter.

Subaru groaned and hid his face in his hands. Seishirou chuckled and put an arm around Subaru's shoulders, leading him out of the apartment. Subaru uncovered his face once he was out in the hall. He was still red, but nowhere near as much as he had been. Taking a deep breath, he managed to calm down and open the door to his apartment. He let Seishirou step in first, then came in himself and closed the door behind him.

Seishirou, seeing that Subaru was still embarrassed by his sister's comments, took the boy into a tight embrace. Subaru momentarily turned red, not from embarrassment, but more from reflex now. Then he relaxed into Seishirou's arms and put his arms around the older man in return. He rested his head against Seishirou's chest. The two of them stood like that for a moment, content to be with each other.

Subaru broke away from Seishirou after a while and turned towards the couch.

"Ano…you can have the bed," he said. "I can sleep on the couch."

"Nonsense, Subaru-kun," Seishirou replied. "It's your bed. I can't take it and leave you to sleep on the couch."

"But…"

"Subaru-kun," Seishirou said. "Why don't we both sleep in the bed?"

"S-Seishirou-san…!"

"I promise, Subaru-kun," Seishirou told him. "I won't do anything without your consent. I wouldn't want to hurt you, would I?"

Subaru fought the blush that threatened to arise. "A-ano…all right…"

"You act as though you think I'm going to gobble you up in your sleep," Seishirou smiled. He kissed the boy on the forehead. "I would never do anything to hurt you, you know that."

Subaru nodded. He managed somehow to keep from blushing and led the older man to the bedroom.

_**Author's Note: **Yes, yes, I know. ((insert mocking tone here)) Another cliffhanger! Grab the torches and the pitchforks! Burn her, burn her! BURN HER! ((end of mocking tone)) Give me a bloody break. I've been up since three-thirty working on this chapter because I'm an insomniac who has nothing better to do than write fanfics to please her readers. To make up for the evil little cliffies I've been putting in lately, this chapter was a lot longer than most of them and guess what? Lemon next chapter. So be nice to me._

_**Kakyou-Luverx:** Please don't explode into a fiery mass of fangirl meats. I'm not cleaning up after you. The stench of fangirl remains is not a lovely one. Besides, who would I get lovely fanfics from if you did explode?  
**Sapadu:** I told you I was evil. Cliffhangers are just the proof.  
**SoulReceiver:** It's well constructed? Well, thank you for the kind compliment! Don't worry, as you can tell from this chapter, the bet ended in a good way, so Kamui doesn't have to be all angst-drama-queen on us. And yes, Nokoru is about sixteen in this. I mentioned it in chapter nine, I believe. I said he was at least high school age in this fic. Sorry if I confused you.  
**Tekoo:** ((snickers)) I'm sorry. Your review made me laugh. You wouldn't actually report me for authority abuse, would you?  
**Comixoriole:** To answer to your complaints, 1. I didn't update because I was busy with school and some other fics and 2. The cliffhanger? ….The devil made me do it. ((pulls you down from the ceiling)) I updated, so you can come down now.  
**AthrunZallaLover:** Yes. Yes I am mean. ((hands you a handkerchief)) I'm glad you loved it. I try my damndest to make my readers happy.  
**Tanuki-dono: **((insert evil laughter of an author who knows more than her readers)) I love cliffhangers  
**Liviania:** Ack! No staplers! I just recovered from a stapler-involved incident! ((hides))  
**Chibi-Kagome-456:** Kill Subaru? Heavens no! That wouldn't be nice of me at all. As you can tell from this chapter, Subaru is just fine.  
**Jessiehimechan: **Of course! Here's more for you and there's even more coming soon!_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

_**Author's Note:** Hey! –grin- Long time no see, people! –audience throws tomatoes- Okay, okay, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but you see…Funny story, actually. –audience throws more tomatoes; Koichi tries to speak through vegetable artillery- I got stuck writing this at a couple points and…-gets hit by something- Oh, come on! Who throws size fifteen hiking boots at an author! –someone stands- ¬.¬ I will get you for that. Anyway. Yeah. So I got stuck, then…I got Advent Children. –drools-  
**Warning:** Lemon. At last, right? Like I said, I got stuck writing it. Yes, even the great Koichi –is egotistical- can get stuck writing a lemon. Also, I've been watching Advent Children and listening to One-Winged Angel too much and that's kind of gotten me into a "put characters in danger" phase.  
**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned it, but I don't, so I'm…just going to sit here…at my computer…wishing…all depressed-like…cause I'm like that, you know._

Chapter Fourteen

It was already getting late by the time everyone had finished their sundaes. Now, as Subaru was brushing his teeth, it was around 10:15. Seishirou was sitting on the bed, waiting for the younger man to come out of the bathroom. He was thinking about how the relationship between the two of them was going to work out. Subaru's grandmother was sure to disapprove. After all, it was Seishirou's own mother who murdered the Twelfth Head's son, Subaru's father.

_Oh, great,_ Seishirou thought._ That's going to be wonderful to have to tell Subaru-kun. Ne, Subaru-kun, my mother killed your father! _

Seishirou hid his face in hands and let out a soft groan. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Subaru's worried green eyes. The boy sat on the bed next to the older man.

"Something wrong, Seishirou-san?" Subaru asked.

"No," Seishirou replied, putting his arms around the boy. "How can anything be wrong when I have you in my arms?"

Seishirou buried his face in the soft curve of Subaru's neck as the boy's face turned a bright crimson shade. The older man rubbed gently against the boy's neck until his lips fell upon the sensitive skin just below Subaru's ear. Subaru let out a delicate gasp as Seishirou's tongue gently lapped at the spot at his neck that made his body shiver with delight.

"S-Sei…" he attempted to say the older man's name. But it turned into a moan as Seishirou's tongue ran up his ear and the older man began to nibble on his earlobe.

Seishirou pushed Subaru down onto the mattress and unbuttoned Subaru's pajamas, exposing the young man's pale chest. Subaru let out another soft gasp, shivered, and turned the colour of a deep wine. He momentarily panicked and tried to get out of the situation. Seishirou felt the boy squirm and let go of him. He looked at Subaru, who was still very red and breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Subaru-kun," he said. "I shouldn't have done that."

Subaru pulled the front of his shirt together and sat up. He waited a few minutes to catch his breath and to regain control of himself. What Seishirou had done wasn't bad at all. Subaru liked it, but wasn't sure whether or not he wanted it.

"Seishirou-san…"

* * *

"Okay, Ichigo," Kamui said. "Here's one for you. 'What is the name of the actor who played Westley in _The Princess Bride?_'" 

"Cary Elwes," Ichigo answered, without batting a lash.

"Kamui, stop giving her the easy ones!" Hokuto exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't know that answer," Kamui said in defense.

"I watch it a lot," Ichigo said. "Cary Elwes is one of my favorite actors."

"Hmm, I wonder how Subaru and Sei-chan are doing?" Hokuto wondered out loud, ignoring the game of _Trivial Pursuit._

"If we're lucky, Seishirou picked up the hints from the sundaes," Ichigo told her. "We had enough sexual suggestions to drive a man crazy."

Kamui looked at Ichigo, then at Hokuto. "We're never letting her watch porn again."

"Right," Hokuto nodded in agreement.

Ichigo glared at her friends. "It was _Othell_—oh, forget it! I'm not trying to defend myself anymore!"

Kamui and Hokuto burst into laughter. Ichigo pouted and rolled the dice. The game continued.

* * *

Seishirou was lying on Subaru's bed, with the boy snuggled close to him. Subaru was awake as well; neither of them were actually tired. The two of them just lay there in bed, not doing anything. Subaru shifted and in doing so, caught the older man's attention. Seishirou looked down at the young Sumeragi and smiled, kissing the boy's forehead. 

"You're so cute in bed, Subaru-kun," he told him.

Subaru's face immediately flushed red. "S-Seishirou-san…"

Seishirou reached up behind Subaru and pulled the boy's head forward. He kissed Subaru's lips gently, leaving an opportunity for the Sumeragi to escape if he wished to do so. When Subaru didn't make any attempt to break away, it encouraged Seishirou to move on. He shifted his position and rolled Subaru onto his back.

Moving down, Seishirou laid a light kiss on Subaru's neck. The young Sumeragi let out a soft moan and closed his eyes. He put his arms about Seishirou's shoulders, holding the older man close to him. Seishirou smiled into the young man's neck and ran his tongue up to Subaru's ear once again. As he gently played with the boy's earlobe, he began to slowly unbutton the shirt Subaru wore, stopping halfway down. This time, Subaru didn't make any move to stop the older man or escape from what was happening.

Instead, Subaru held onto Seishirou, keeping him close. He allowed the older man to move back downwards and gently nip at his collarbone, letting out soft gasps as Seishirou made his way lower. He felt Seishirou's tongue lap gently at his left nipple and moaned as he arched his head back in delight. It felt so good, to be like this, to be with Seishirou; holding him, touching him, loving him. But a sudden thought came to him, causing him to push Seishirou away.

"This…" he said, his voice quivering from being breathless. "You and I…is it…?"

"Shhh," Seishirou replied, reassuring the boy. "It's okay. I won't if you don't want to."

Subaru hesitated. Then, in a whispered voice, he asked, "What if Hokuto-chan and the others hear?"

Seishirou blinked at Subaru's question for a moment. It was true that Hokuto's living room was just on the other side of the wall, but he didn't think that Hokuto, Kamui, and Ichigo would be able to hear anything. The walls seemed thick enough. He gave Subaru a mischievous smile, his good eye darkening to show his true nature for a split second.

"Let them hear, then."

"Seishirou-san!" Subaru squeaked, turning the crimson shade that Seishirou loved.

The older man merely laughed before kissing Subaru once again. Subaru hesitated for a moment before giving in. He relaxed into the kiss, allowing Seishirou to push his tongue through his lips to taste the inside of his mouth. The young Sumeragi master moaned into the kiss, letting go of the fears he had of his sister hearing, of feeling guilty. All he wanted was to feel Seishirou love him.

With Subaru distracted momentarily, Seishirou took the opportunity to unbutton the green satin shirt the boy wore. He slipped the shirt off Subaru's shoulders and broke the kiss to nip at his prey's collarbone. Subaru let out a small gasp and leaned his head back to give the older man better access. Seishirou smirked and moved downwards to lap again at one of Subaru's nipples, instead.

"S-Seishirou-san…" the young Sumeragi managed to gasp out. His back arched; a sign which Seishirou took as a good one.

Gently, Seishirou took Subaru's nipple between his teeth and began to toy with it. The choked cries escaping Subaru's lips encouraged him to continue. He released Subaru and ran his tongue down the boy's chest to the soft skin of his lower abdomen. Then, he kissed a trail back up and to Subaru's lips, where he stayed for a while, just satisfied with tasting the Sumeragi as their tongues played together.

Subaru broke the kiss, needing air, and turned his head to one side. Seishirou looked at him quizzically for a moment, wondering if he should stop. But Subaru turned back to him and pulled the older man back down on him, taking the chance to kiss him again. Seishirou smirked into Subaru's kiss, knowing now that Subaru wanted this. He slipped a hand under the waistband of Subaru's pants and ran his fingers along the boy's sensitive skin.

Subaru let out a choked half-cry and broke the kiss as Seishirou's fingers brushed up against him. His back arched, bringing his hips upwards into the older man's touch. He squeezed his eyes shut, his mind becoming overloaded with ecstasy. Seishirou chuckled at the boy's reaction and took hold of the Sumeragi's pants and gently slid them off, along with the boxers Subaru wore underneath. He paused for a moment and just admired the boy.

Breathing heavily, Subaru took the chance to look up and immediately blushed upon the realization that he no longer wore anything. He forced the blush down and, a bit irritated that he was undressed and yet Seishirou was still fully clothed, reached a hesitant hand out and began to unbutton the older man's shirt. He could hear Seishirou chuckle again and the other man put his hand on Subaru's, helping him along. Together, they got the shirt off and, soon, the pants as well. Subaru blushed deeply when he saw Seishirou's naked figure before him.

Seishirou noted Subaru's red face and could not help laughing gently. He lay on top of Subaru and kissed the boy's forehead, then moved downwards. He kissed a trail down Subaru's abdomen and even further downwards. His lips found themselves surrounding the very tip of the younger man's erection and Subaru let out a sharp gasp as Seishirou's tongue touched him.

"S-Seishirou-san…" he moaned.

"Do I still get that cherry you promised me?" Seishirou asked, stroking the boy delicately.

Subaru squeaked and squirmed. But he managed to look at Seishirou with questioning eyes. The older man smiled and leaned up to him. He whispered something into Subaru's ear and immediately, the boy turned such a bright colour of crimson that Seishirou was afraid he might faint. Subaru remained conscious and gulped.

"S-Seishirou…san…I…" he said.

"I can still stop if you want me to," Seishirou told him. "We don't have to do this."

Subaru was still quite red. "But...I…I want to."

"Do you really?"

Subaru paused, then nodded. "Please, Seishirou-san. I…I want this."

Seishirou kissed him softly on the lips. "Okay. But we're almost to the point where there's no turning back."

Subaru nodded. "I understand."

"If you're sure…"

Subaru nodded again. Seishirou smiled gently at him and went about continuing. He played with Subaru for a few more minutes, but knew that the Sumeragi wouldn't last that long, considering it being his first time and all. He stopped suddenly, realizing something.

"Er…Subaru-kun?" he asked. "We…we need…"

"What…?" Subaru asked, already more than breathless. "What is it?"

"We need something…to use…as lubricant."

Subaru blushed. He hadn't known about lubricant, much less known that he and Seishirou would be having sex that night at all. He wracked his brain for something to use.

"The bathroom," he said. "There's some…massage oil in the bathroom. Hokuto-chan insisted that I use it after hard jobs."

"Well," Seishirou said. "Why don't I go get it?"

Subaru blinked and sat up as Seishirou went into the bathroom. Subaru was glad that the drapes were drawn over the windows. Not that anyone really could see through them, but it gave him a sense of security. Seishirou returned from the bathroom a moment later, with a small lavender bottle of massage oil in hand. He walked back over to Subaru and lay gently on top of the boy. He kissed Subaru gently and then looked into the younger man's emerald green eyes.

"Just to be sure…" he began.

"Don't stop," Subaru begged. "I don't want you to stop. Please…"

Seishirou hesitated, but continued. He opened the bottle of oil and applied it to his fingers. Gently, he spread Subaru's legs and settled between them. Leaning forward, he kissed Subaru to distract the boy as he prepared him for what happened next. Through the kiss, Subaru let out a little yelp as he felt Seishirou push a finger into him. The sharp pain brought tears to the boy's eyes and he squeezed them shut. He felt Seishirou pull away from the kiss.

"It's okay, Subaru-kun…" Seishirou whispered, kissing the tears from the younger man's eyes. "Relax. It will hurt less."

Subaru whimpered, nodding. He did his best to do as Seishirou told him, but still could not help wincing in pain as Seishirou slid a second and a third finger into Subaru's body. He gripped the sheets beneath him with one hand and held onto Seishirou with the other, breathing heavily and whimpering still as he felt Seishirou's fingers move around inside him.

Finally, Seishirou removed his fingers from Subaru. He took the massage oil in hand once again and applied it to his growing erection. Tossing the bottle, Seishirou took Subaru's hand, untangling the boy's fingers from the sheets and, instead, entwining them into his own fingers. He kissed Subaru once more, then squeezed his hand as he thrust into the young man.

Subaru cried out harshly. The pain was excruciating, but at the same time, it felt good. He gripped Seishirou's hand in return, biting his lip to keep from screaming. Seishirou pulled out of him a little, then thrust back in. Subaru gasped in pain once more. His hips rocked against Seishirou's and quickly, the two of them set a beat with their movements. Subaru could feel himself growing close to the edge and his vision was beginning to blank.

Seishirou pulled out of Subaru once more, paused, then threw himself back inside the boy. He heard Subaru scream his name and felt the boy's essence spill out onto him. Seishirou continued rocking back and forth between Subaru's legs until his own threshold was crossed and he released inside Subaru. He moaned, as did Subaru, and, when it was over, pulled himself from Subaru's body. He settled next to Subaru, only just managing not to collapse onto his lover.

For a few moments, there was no sound in the apartment, but their pants. Seishirou caught his breath and pulled Subaru on top of him. The boy was still breathing heavily from their activity, but was smiling. Seishirou smiled back at him and kissed him deeply, pulling Subaru as close as possible. Subaru eagerly returned the kiss.

Moments later, they broke apart, but remained in each other's arms. They lay like that for several long minutes, until Seishirou sat up. Subaru looked at him as Seishirou extended a hand to his young lover.

"Come, Subaru-kun," he said. "We'd better get cleaned up."

Subaru nodded, taking Seishirou's hand and standing up, taking much effort. His muscles were sore and it hurt to move. Seishirou put Subaru's arm around his shoulder and helped the boy get to the bathroom, where the two of them got into the shower, running hot water over their sore bodies. Though, half of the time, they were too busy with each other to pay much attention to cleaning themselves.

After an hour, Seishirou turned the water off and got out of the shower. He dried himself off quickly, threw his robe on, and went to change the sheets on the bed. Subaru, meanwhile, remained in the bathroom, drying himself off and pulling his pajamas back on. He looked at himself in the mirror and gave a small smile. He felt good; he felt wonderful. Being with Seishirou was the best thing in the world.

Seishirou called Subaru out into the bedroom a few minutes later, having changed the sheets and now waiting for the younger man. The two crawled into bed, embraced in each others' arms, and fell asleep together. In sleep, they were perfectly content. Two halves of a whole reunited for the first and final time. They would never be apart again.

* * *

Hours later, the door to the apartment opened and Kamui quietly tiptoed inside. Though it was now ten in the morning, neither Subaru or Seishirou were awake. Kamui knew why. Everything was fine; Kamui could hear them through the wall that connected Subaru's bedroom with Hokuto's living room. Kamui snuck into the bedroom, careful not to wake either Subaru or Seishirou, and went over to the bed he typically slept in. He grabbed some clothes and headed back to the door. He paused, looked at Subaru's peaceful sleeping face and smiled. 

"Congrats, Subaru," he whispered. "I know you'll be happy."

With that, he left to go back to Hokuto's apartment.

When Subaru and Seishirou finally got up, it was about one in the afternoon. Hokuto teased them endlessly about fooling around during the night and not going to sleep until some gods-forsaken hour in the morning. Both she and Ichigo poked fun at Subaru, asking if their hints during the previous night's dessert helped him. Subaru turned bright red and choked. Seishirou chuckled and held onto Subaru, as if to protect him.

Kamui watched his friends, laughing along with them. He knew that this was a special moment. He would always treasure this day, because he knew that this was the last time he would be able to laugh with his friends. He still had a job to do, a fate to face, and several apologies to make. For a brief moment, his mind wandered to the bottle of painkillers he had stolen from the hospital during his stay that he had hidden amongst his few belongings in the room he and Subaru shared.

_I don't belong here,_ he reminded himself. _I can't stay here. There can't be three Kamui._

He would go to visit Nokoru tomorrow. There were things that had to be arranged before Kamui could follow his plans. There had to be no trace of a Shirou Kamui, age sixteen, a student at CLAMP Academy in the year 1991. The only trace allowed would be that in the memories of Sumeragi Hokuto, Sumeragi Subaru, Sakurazuka Seishirou, Imonoyama Nokoru, Magami Tokiko, Akiyama Ichigo, and Kuzuki Kakyou. Everyone else…would forget about Kamui's existence here.

It wouldn't be too difficult. Nokoru only had to erase Kamui's current school records and make sure no one remembered him when the Shirou Kamui of 1999 came to the Academy after the death of Monou Kotori.

* * *

"You want me to _what_?" Nokoru asked. 

"I need to make sure no one knows about me," Kamui said. "I've told you the truth about me and you know that a Shirou Kamui will be coming to this school in 1999. No one can be allowed to remember me from this time. Destroy all records of me being a student here."

"You're crazy," Nokoru said. "The chairlady will have my head if she finds out I've been messing with school records."

"You have to," Kamui pressed. "No one can know that I was here. It would bring about too many questions when my other self comes here in eight years."

Nokoru hesitated. "We'll have to find a way to be discreet about it. If the chairlady finds out…"

"Can't we talk to her about it?"

"She's a busy lady, Kamui-kun. I don't know if we'll have time."

"Please, Nokoru-sama," Kamui said. "We can't let anyone ask questions eight years from now."

Nokoru nodded. "I'll do my best."

Kamui smiled. "Thank you," he said. He paused. "There was one more thing."

"You're not going to ask me to hack into a bank and steal money, are you?" Nokoru asked jokingly.

"Of course not!" Kamui said. "I just have one more favour to ask you. I'm going to kidnap someone tonight and I need to guarantee him a safe place here."

"A kidnapping?"

"A good friend of a couple of the students here. Does the name 'Kuzuki' mean anything in particular to you?"

"Yeah," Nokoru said. "Kuzuki is the name of one of the more popular politicians. He's gotten pretty powerful over the past few years, according to the chairlady."

"Yeah, well," Kamui replied. "The reason he's gotten so powerful is because he's exploiting the powers of a yumemi; his own son."

"What?"

"Kuzuki Kakyou. He's a yumemi and will be one of the Dragons of Earth, despite his own desires. Right now, his parents have him locked up in a small room in their mansion. I'm going to bust him out of there tonight. Is there any chance that you can get him a place to stay until he can get emancipated?"

"Well, yes," Nokoru said. "There are a few student dormitories that are unused. I can get him settled into one of them."

"Can you meet us there tonight?"

"I think so."

"Great," Kamui said. "I'll bring him over after midnight. I don't know how easily I can get him here, but he'll be safe?"

"I guarantee it."

Kamui smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

That night, Kamui waited until Subaru had gone to sleep before changing out of his pajamas and into a pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black jacket. He grabbed one of Subaru's jackets as well; it was chilly and Kamui didn't know whether or not Kakyou owned a jacket. With the jacket under his arm, Kamui climbed up to the window, opened it, and jumped out. His powers as a Dragon of Heaven kicked in and he leaped across the rooftops towards the house where Kakyou was imprisoned. 

Guards were everywhere on the estate and it took Kamui a while to sneak past them and to the window through which he could see the blonde yumemi. Next to Kakyou, sat a blonde woman in a green and purple kimono; he supposed she was Kakyou's mother. He waited outside the window until he saw the woman leave. He could see guards outside the room just before the door closed. Softly, the violet eyed boy tapped on the glass.

Kakyou turned to him. "Kamui!"

"Shh!" Kamui warned. _Can you force them into a dreamscape?_ he mouthed.

Kakyou looked towards the door, where the guards sat outside. He turned back to Kamui and nodded. His eyes closed and Kamui could feel Kakyou's powers shift the room slightly. When Kakyou's eyes opened again, Kamui noticed the cat-slit pupils that the yumemi always had when he was crossing dreams.

_I'm going to blast out the window,_ Kamui mouthed. _Cover yourself with that blanket._

Kakyou nodded and did so. Kamui put his hand to the window and released energy from the palm of his hand. The window shattered and glass flew throughout the room. Kakyou uncovered his head and looked at Kamui. The violet eyed boy climbed into the room and went over to Kakyou. He handed him the extra jacket he had brought.

"Put that on," he whispered. "It's cold outside."

Kakyou put on the jacket, fumbling for a second with the zipper. Kamui nodded.

"Climb on my back and hold tightly. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

The yumemi did so. Kamui held onto Kakyou, surprised at how light the other boy was, and about to leap out the window when heavy footsteps sounded outside the room and an angry voice yelled at the two guards outside the room. Kakyou's grip on Kamui tightened and Kamui jumped as a gunshot rang out in the night. A sharp pain on Kamui's arm let him know that the bullet had just grazed his arm. He leapt into the air and to the top of a nearby building.

"What the hell is going on?" an angry voice yelled. "Who the hell is that!"

"Hang on, Kakyou," Kamui said. He leapt across to the next building and the next. Behind him, he could hear a helicopter start.

Kakyou chanced a look behind him. The helicopter held a handful of his father's men, including a sniper. The rifle was aimed at them.

"Watch out!" Kakyou said. "They've got a sniper!"

Kamui nodded and jumped down into a small alley between two buildings. He landed with a soft thud and began to run down the alley. They were still far from the academy and, with the helicopter flying around, it would be difficult to get there. Looking around, Kamui spotted a corner between a dumpster and a wall.

"Sorry, but we'll have to hide here for a moment," he told the yumemi on his back.

"I don't care," Kakyou replied.

Kamui crawled behind the dumpster and set Kakyou down. The helicopter flew past above them, but Kamui knew they weren't quite safe yet. They waited for a short time, then Kamui got Kakyou onto his back once more and headed off. He leaped to the top of the building and looked around for a second. He could see the helicopter and it was far enough away that they stood a chance to out distance it. He headed back in the direction of CLAMP Academy, with Kakyou holding on for dear life.

Suddenly, a light beamed down on them and gunshots rang out. Kamui looked up and saw a second helicopter above them. He sped up, leaping across gaps between building as fast as he could. He saw a door open at the top of one building and rushed over to it. He went inside and slammed the door closed behind him. He set Kakyou down and helped the blonde boy down the stairs that lay in front of them. A few flights of stairs later, they reached a door. Kamui opened it and looked around outside the door. It was the dimly lit hallway of what looked to be a small apartment building.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing Kakyou's hand and leading the other boy to the elevator at the end of the hall.

The two of them reached the lobby of the building and stepped out of the elevator. Immediately, Kamui tensed as a gun was put to his head. Kakyou let out a small, frightened gasp as more men surrounded him. Kamui looked at the man with the gun and his pupils constricted as he gathered just enough energy to destroy the gun. The man dropped the remains of the gun and took a step back. Kamui reached out and grabbed the man's arm, twisting it behind his back. The man fell, screaming in pain.

"Let me go!" Kakyou cried to Kamui's left.

Kamui turned and saw three men trying to take Kakyou back as a prisoner. Energy crackled around him and he released a bolt of pure energy towards the three men. They fell, as did Kakyou, for one still held the boy. Kamui ran over to the blonde yumemi and pulled him out of the man's grip. The two of them fled towards the doors of the building. Another shot rang out and Kamui cried out in pain as the bullet went through his right shoulder, but he kept running. Once outside, he grabbed Kakyou and jumped into the air, leaping once again towards the academy.

* * *

Nokoru looked at his watch. It was almost two in the morning. Kamui had not yet arrived and he was beginning to get worried. The two of them had agreed to meet at the dormitory an hour ago. There was no explanation for Kamui's tardiness, other than running into trouble. A soft wind blew Nokoru's pale bangs into his eyes and he brushed them away. At that second, Kamui landed next to him, with a long-haired blonde gripping his back. 

"Kamui!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry, Nokoru-sama," Kamui said, wincing. He let Kakyou down and gripped his shoulder.

"You're bleeding!" Nokoru said.

"I've had worse," Kamui said. "This is nothing compared to having glass shoved into my arms and a pole through my leg."

Nokoru winced in sympathy pain. "What happened to cause that?"

"The Dark Kamui," the violet-eyed boy said. He turned to Kakyou. "Nokoru-sama's got you a place here. We'll get you emancipated tomorrow, so, by law, your parents won't be able to take you back against your will."

"Thank you, Kamui," Kakyou said. He bowed and wobbled towards Nokoru, who led him inside the dorm.

Kamui followed them inside. He thanked Nokoru for his help and wished Kakyou luck. He headed back to towards the door, but nearly fell over as he did so. Nokoru grabbed him.

"You're staying here until morning," the older boy said. "You've exhausted yourself and we need to get someone to look at your shoulder."

"I'll be fine," Kamui said, waving Nokoru off.

"No, Kamui," Kakyou said. "Please stay here until morning. I would like company."

Kamui looked at Kakyou. He nodded, then let Nokoru lead him over to an armchair that sat in the living room of the apartment-like dormitory. Nokoru disappeared into the bathroom and came back moments later with a towel.

"Press this against the wound," he told Kamui. "I'll get a doctor over here right away."

Kamui nodded. He thanked Nokoru once again, holding the towel to his shoulder. He was in for a long night, but everything would turn out okay. Turning towards Kakyou, he smiled.

"Welcome to your new home," he said. "You'll be safe here."

Kakyou nodded. "Thank you, Kamui."

_**WARNING:** This is the International Seme Association. We are seeking out the author of this fanfiction, Koichi Sapphira Darkwood, in attempt to bring her in for questioning concerning the recent events in Vancouver, involving the vandalism of a local Wal-Mart, in which the word SEME was boldly written in blood red spray paint all over the west side of the store. We also have reason to believe that Miss Darkwood is responsible for putting tubes of lubricant in the ice cream section and Trojan brand condoms in the toy section. If you have seen Koichi Sapphira Darkwood, please call 1-800-FUK-UKES right away. We are counting on you!_

_**Author's Note:** See, why would the ISA want me for vandalism? I just don't get it. ((shakes head)) Anyways. I so did not take the reference to _The Princess Bride_ from Kouri and Karasu. It happens to be a favourite movie of mine. Originally, I was going to put in_ Reservoir Dogs_, then I realized that it had been released in 1992. –sweatdrop-  
_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_**Author's Note:** I'm really, really, REAAALLLY sorry that this is so late. I'm such a horrible, horrible person for making everyone wait so damn long for me to update this fic. Please, please, please forgive me! I blame my school, my PS2, and my friend Tif. Cause she sent me Chain of Memories.  
__**Warnings:** Uh. Not much to warn you about. Except for character death. So, yeah. Not much to warn about. And it's also rather short. I'm kinda in a hurry to finish this story off so I can get back to a few of my other ones.  
__**Disclaimer:** I still don't own it. Never have, never will, unless CLAMP allows me to join their ranks, which I highly doubt. They don't need me. –huddles sadly in the corner, doodling yaoi on the floor with a permanent marker-_

Chapter Fifteen

The next morning, Kamui woke up on the couch in the dorm room. He sat up and looked out the window. It was raining heavily outside. Through the sheets of rain, the violet-eyed boy could see groups of students walking past, huddled under umbrellas. He recognised Ijyuin Akira amongst one group. The black-haired boy broke away from the group and turned another direction. A couple minutes later, the doorbell of the dormitory rang. Kamui got up, vaguely noticing that he was shirtless and his shoulder was bandaged up. He went over to the door and opened it. Akira stood outside with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Shirou-kun," he said. "The chairman asked me to stop by and check on you and Kuzuki-san."

"Oh," Kamui said. "Okay."

"Can I come in for a moment?"

"Sure."

"Thanks," Akira smiled. He stepped inside the dormitory and pulled off his backpack. Rummaging through it, he pulled out a couple of boxed lunches. "Here, I made something for you and Kuzuki-san to eat."

Kamui took the boxed lunches with a grateful smile. He hadn't eaten in a while and he was sure Kakyou was hungry as well. Akira looked around.

"So, where is Kuzuki-san?" he asked.

"Oh," Kamui said. "I think he's still asleep."

"No, I'm not," a soft voice came from the hall.

Kamui turned to see Kakyou making his way through the hall, slowly, as if he barely knew how to walk. The violet-eyed boy put the lunches on the coffee table and went over to the yumemi to help him walk.

"I apologise, Kamui-san," Kakyou said. "I don't get to leave my room at the house. I never really got to walk."

"It's okay," Kamui told him. "Give it time; you'll be walking like the best of us soon."

Kakyou smiled at him. Then he saw the lunches on the coffee table.

"Is that food?" he asked.

Akira smiled. "My best efforts! I hope you're hungry."

"Starved, thank you," Kakyou said.

With Kamui's help, he sat down on the couch and took one of the boxed lunches. Akira smiled as Kakyou ate, obviously enjoying every bite. Kamui helped himself to the other boxed lunch and sat down. About halfway through the meal, there was a loud knock on the door. Kamui set the remains of his lunch on the small coffee table in front of the couch and went over to the door to open it. Hokuto stood outside with a scowl on her face.

"Kamui!" she exclaimed. "Where were you last night! We all panicked when you weren't in your bed this morning and--" She paused, noting the bandage around Kamui's shoulder. "Oh, my god! You're injured! What did you do!"

"It's nothing," Kamui said. "Just a small bullet wound."

A look of horror crossed Hokuto's face. "A bullet!"

"Calm down," Kamui told her. "It's okay. A doctor looked at it, I'm fine."

Hokuto pushed Kamui inside the apartment. "You have some explaining to do, mister! And you'd better do it fast!"

Kamui sweatdropped. "Well…"

Hokuto went into the living room to sit down, but stopped in her tracks at the site of the golden-haired boy on the couch.

"K-Kakyou?"

Kakyou looked up and smiled. "Hello, Hokuto."

The girl stood there blinking for a moment before running over and giving the blonde boy a hug. "Oh, my god, you're out of that house!"

Kakyou carefully put his arms around Hokuto. "Yes. Kamui-san helped me."

Hokuto paused and looked at Kakyou. "Is that how he got hurt?"

The yumemi nodded. "We were pursued by some of my father's men. Kamui-san got hit helping me escape. I'm sorry."

Hokuto hugged Kakyou again and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "It's not your fault," she told him. She turned to Kamui. "It's your fault!"

She went over and whacked Kamui upside the head. "What were you thinking! You know Subaru and I would have helped if you had told us!"

"I promised Kakyou I'd help him," Kamui said, rubbing the spot on his head that Hokuto had hit. "I knew it would be dangerous, so I didn't want to get you or Subaru involved."

Hokuto placed her hands on her hips. "You're still in big trouble, Kamui. You're grounded!"

Kamui gaped. "You can't ground me!"

Kakyou stared quietly at Hokuto and Kamui for a moment, then began to softly laugh. Kamui looked at him, as did Hokuto.

"What's so funny?" they both asked in unison.

"You…two…" Kakyou managed through his laughter.

Hokuto sighed, then looked at Kamui. "You," she said, pointing at him, "will be home tonight RIGHT. AFTER. SCHOOL."

"Fine," Kamui pouted. "I was planning on it anyways. I'm going straight to bed when I get home."

"Uh-uh," Hokuto shook her head. "You are going to have to apologise to Subaru and Ichigo for worrying them, then you'll be cleaning up yours and Subaru's apartment as punishment for getting yourself hurt."

"Um…" Akira piped up. "I don't think Shirou-kun should be moving his arm that much, Sumeragi-chan."

"Then he'll use his left arm for everything," Hokuto said, determined to punish Kamui for running off in the middle of the night.

Kamui groaned.

* * *

After cleaning up the entire apartment with Hokuto lounging on the couch, supervising him, Kamui crawled into bed with a huge yawn. He was exhausted from his efforts from the past twenty-four hours. Just rescuing Kakyou was hard, but to be forced to clean a whole apartment only using his left arm was added torment to his tired body. He laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. Almost immediately when he fell asleep, his Dream changed.

"Kakyou?" Kamui called out.

"I know what you're planning to do, Kamui," the blonde yumemi said.

"I figured that you'd See it. Not much gets past you, does it?"

Kakyou shook his head. "And I'm not the only yumemi to have seen it. I've been watching the dreams of a couple of other people involved in the end of the world."

"Hinoto and her sister?" Kamui asked.

Kakyou nodded. "And not only them, but your friend, Monou Kotori."

"Kotori has Seen me in her dreams?"

"Several times," Kakyou told him. "Though, she doesn't realise it is her friend she Sees. She knows you only as 'the nice man' she met on the street a few months ago."

Kamui smiled. "She wouldn't see that it was me. She likes to stay in the present."

"She doesn't like what she Sees in her dreams about you."

"I know. But it doesn't matter if she doesn't realise who it is," Kamui said. "And as for Hinoto and her sister, I don't care if they see what I'm going to do."

"They think it is the Kamui of the future attempting this," Kakyou told him.

Kamui let out a chuckle. "Serves them right. I don't think I ever did like Hinoto to begin with."

"She's not a very likeable person in the future," Kakyou agreed. "I've Seen it."

"Only those blind to who she hides would like her," Kamui said, thinking of Saiki Daisuke. "Perhaps they're better off not knowing who she really might be."

Kakyou remained silent for a moment. "I wish you wouldn't do this. I would not be the only one who would miss you."

A pained looked crossed Kamui's face. "I know, but I have to go through with it."

Kakyou sighed, then nodded. "I understand. I won't get in your way."

"Thank you."

Kakyou disappeared out of Kamui's dream with a soft and pained smile. Kamui's dreams became the harsh memories that he had been haunted by for months. In them, he saw the deaths of all his friends. He saw the torment that he and the rest of Tokyo had been put through because of the fight for the end of the world. The earthquakes, the blood, and the pain all came back to him in his dreams and he hated all of them.

It would all end soon, though.

* * *

The pain seared through Seishirou's head. Though it had been a while since he had been released from the hospital, it sometimes still hurt. He had been prescribed some Vicodin for times like this, when his head hurt. The man walked over to the kitchen, to the cabinet where he kept medicines and reached for the bottle of Vicodin he still had. However, the bottle wasn't there.

"What the hell?" Seishirou asked out loud. "Where did it go?"

Perhaps he had placed it on the counter last night and not in the cupboard? He checked, but to no avail. The painkillers weren't there, nor did they turn up anywhere he looked. He knew he hadn't finished them, so there was no reason for them to be in the trash. Giving up, Seishirou decided to wait out the pain. He'd call his doctor and ask for a refill later.

* * *

Morning came. Kamui moaned as sunlight from the window hit his face when Subaru opened the blinds. He heard the other boy laugh lightly. Getting together with Seishirou and Kamui's influence had changed Subaru enough to the point where he was no longer the shy and easily embarrassed boy he had once been. He walked over and shook Kamui's shoulder. Kamui moaned again and pulled his blanket over his head.

"Come on, Kamui," Subaru said. "We'll be late to school."

"Go on without me," Kamui muttered. "I'm not feeling well."

Subaru tilted his head and walked over to his friend. He pulled the blanket away from Kamui and placed his hand against Kamui's forehead. Ever since he and Seishirou officially became a couple, he had stopped wearing the gloves his grandmother had made for him. Of course, he would have to explain it to her later, but it didn't matter at the moment. The green-eyed boy put his hands on his hips and gave a sigh.

"You don't have a temperature," he said. "I'll go get Hokuto."

"Go to school," Kamui told him. "I'll be fine. It's just my stomach. Probably something I ate."

"Don't let Hokuto hear you say that," Subaru smirked. "She'll never feed you again."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kamui replied, hiding back under the blankets.

He stayed in bed until he was certain that Subaru had left the apartment. After about an hour, he crawled out of bed, glad that Hokuto hadn't come in, throwing a fit about him being ill. She would have seen right through him. He was thankful that Subaru still couldn't tell when he was being lied to. Otherwise, the other boy wouldn't have allowed Kamui to stay home. There was really nothing wrong with him. He just had plans for today.

Kamui walked into the bathroom and pulled the bottle of Vicodin he had stolen from Seishirou out from its hiding place. The bottle was almost completely full; Seishirou hadn't used a lot of the pills. Kamui vaguely wondered if Seishirou really did ever feel any pain. He stood in front of the sink and looked in the mirror. He had done what he had decided to do. Even if that wasn't the reason he had been brought here, that was what he had decided to do.

"Subaru," he said out loud. "I'm sorry. You'll hate me for this. And so will Hokuto. Seishirou maybe not, but he'll be mad at me for making you sad." He let out a small, meaningless laugh. "I've changed the future and now I have to pay the price for doing so. There can't be three Kamui at the End of the World."

With that, he opened the bottle of medicine. He popped several of the pills in his mouth and swallowed them with water from the sink. He did this a few times until all the pills were gone. He left the bottle next to the sink and staggered back into the bedroom, already feeling the affect the medicine would have on his body. He flopped down on the bed and pulled the note he had written the previous night out and looked at it before closing his eyes.

_I'm really, really sorry that I have to do this to you guys,_ he thought._ But I don't belong here._

* * *

The first thing Hokuto did when she got home was she went in to check on Kamui. Since Subaru had told her that the violet-eyed boy hadn't felt well that morning, she decided to check on him and make sure that he was alright. Subaru himself had gone over to Seishirou's after school and wasn't around when Hokuto found Kamui in bed, cold and not breathing. She let out a high pitched scream and ran to the phone, dialing for emergency assistance as soon as her fingers touched the phone.

When emergency assistance came, Kamui was pronounced dead at the scene. Hokuto began crying and cried only harder when one of the men handed her the note that Kamui had been holding. Its contents only made her sadder. When she had calmed down enough to talk, she called Subaru at Seishirou's apartment and began crying again as she told him what had happened.

They had Kamui buried underneath one of the trees at CLAMP Academy, with permission from Nokoru. In the note Kamui had asked to be buried underneath that specific tree, where, nine years later, Monou Kotori would be buried next to him. Hokuto, Subaru, Seishirou, Ichigo, Nokoru, Suoh, Akira, Kakyou, and Tokiko stood underneath the tree after Kamui was buried and mourned the boy's death. They all spread flowers over Kamui's grave and said their final good-byes.

After a while, everyone left, except for Subaru, Seishirou, Hokuto, and Kakyou. The four of them stood there quietly. Kakyou's hands were rested on Hokuto's shoulders as the girl cried silently. Subaru was visibly upset, but his tears had long since stopped falling.

They would all miss him.

_**Author's Note:** Yeah, I know. Short; really only three and a half pages long. Bite me, I'm having a bad week. But now that this chapter is done with the story is almost to a close. I still have a couple things to write, but those things will be written in the epilogue, so keep waiting for that. Yeah, okay, if you want to flame me for this chapter taking, oh….damn near eight months to pop up on go ahead, I totally deserve it._


End file.
